Another Gapyear
by BerkleyDrive
Summary: Jack Harries (JacksGap) dropped out of college to be a full time YouTuber and found himself missing Bristol altogether. In his trip back to his old university he meets a half naked girl who will haunt him and un-sort him. (Includes Jack Harries and Finn Harries [JacksGap]; Carrie Hope Fletcher [ItsWayPastMyBedtime], Marcus Butler [MarcusButlerTV], Caspar Lee [dicasp] and many more)
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: __Hi! This is my first ever fanfiction! Thank you so much to everyone who has journeyed with me and Casey so far. I really appreciate all your reviews, messages and suggestions. Everything you have written about this story thus far has helped me so much, especially since I am a first time fanfiction writer and I actually have no idea what I'm doing. So yeah, thank you for guiding me all throughout AGY. If you're a new reader, please let me know what you think and don't be afraid to leave constructive criticisms because I welcome each and every one of them._

_Also, I put together outfits to go with each chapter! You can check out photos and updates about this fanfiction on my Tumblr blog: what-to-wear-if. _

_NOTES:_

_Italicized (In the middle of paragraphs) - Means this is a thought bubble formed in the character's mind_

_Italicized: (In a new paragraph/line) __- Means this is a tweet or a text message sent by the character_

_[Brackets] - Means there's a special action done in script-style chapters_

_Line Breaks - A transitional cue for when there is a change of tone or setting_

_*** - A cue for song lyrics done in script-style chapters_

_### - Means the chapter is done so you can go ahead and click on 'Next'_

_-30- - Means the story is completely done_

_Enjoy and Thank You!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: A Gap in the Room **

It's been six months since Jack Harries decided to drop out of University of Bristol. Though things went well for him and his twin brother Finn because of this, he knew, in his heart of hearts, that he misses Bristol dearly. The city of Bristol is a two-hour drive away from London, where he lives. But despite the 193 kilometer difference, Bristol's old buildings, little shops and bustling streets always makes him feel like he's being transported to a different dimension. _This is such a pretty place_. He once showed the city to his fans through a video after he moved in. He even showed them his university room on the third floor of the University Hall, which was where he was headed at the moment.

Jack Harries is a simple guy with so many complex thoughts. It was probably why he chose to study drama, film and TV. In the World Wide Web, however, he's not exactly what you would identify as a regular guy. He is a YouTube personality. His gap year chronicles that went viral over the Internet made him an instant celebrity with more than two million subscribers and millions of social media followers. Today, however, Jack roamed the university grounds alone. He decided to go back to his old university room. He went up the stairs silently, absorbed in his thoughts and memories. He passed by the lobby where he used to sit and play Fred, his ukelele, for his friends and classmates. He saw a few familiar faces but saw none of those whom he had been friends with. Part of the reason why he felt he needed to go back to this hall is because he lost a lot of dear friends when he dropped out. _I even lost a girlfriend._

Meanwhile, Ken rushed past him to get to the room as soon as possible. He was practically running up the stairs to the third floor with his keys jangling in his pocket. He opened the door to his room and hurriedly closed it. He placed his bag down on the study table and retrieved the little black dress hanging inside his wooden dresser. It was a dress for his best friend who is about to host a rehearsal dinner that evening. _Casey's literally going to kill me if I don't finish this hem on time!_ Though he knew that Casey would wait patiently for the dress, he was pressured to finish it on time because he had plans with his boyfriend that night too. He sat down on his sewing machine, reached for his bag and rummaged for his glasses. At times like these he felt it was very unfortunate that he had astigmatism. He needed his glasses to be able to sew. _Oh shit!_ It wasn't there. Panic-stricken, he dashed out of the room and went back to his classroom where he probably left them, leaving the door to his room unlocked.

Jack stood outside his former room for about 10 seconds. _What if there's someone in here?_ He took out his Canon 7D and took a deep breath. He knocked once, twice, thrice, hoping that the person on the other side of the door would be kind enough to let him in. There was no answer. He knocked again and felt the door knob. It was open. Adrenaline rushed through Jack's body. He looked around to check for people in his former floor that he might know, people who might see what he's about to do. Nothing. He twisted the door knob and the door gave way for him. He stuck his head inside the room and saw the mess of clothes and scattered papers. "Hello?" No one answered. Jack went in, opened his camera and took a video of his former room which is now in a state of chaos with books lying everywhere and swatches of cloths scattered on top of the study table. He checked the shelves and the drawers for anything he might have forgotten when he went away. In one of it, he saw a colorful box covered with cutouts of his face. It was filled with bracelets his fans sent him while he was there. He closed the box, tucked it under his arm and got ready to leave.

Then he felt the sudden need to pee.

* * *

Casey was almost running late. Her English professor took his time giving their assignments that he went past the schedule again. In a rush, she packed her notebook and her iPad in her bag and made a run for the door. She came to Bristol to live with her father while attending college. While her divorced parents are well off, she's been trying to land part-time hosting gigs to save some money for her own. Her goal was to be able to save enough cash to visit her mom on Christmas. _I can't be late. I can't fuck this up! _She found the door to Ken's room slightly ajar when she reached the landing of the University Hall's third floor. She gently pushes the door as she stepped inside, catching her breath as she did. The room was empty. "Ken?" she asked loudly. She heard the sound of falling bottles in the bathroom and she shook her head in amusement. _Ken, always the clumsy one._

Casey dropped her heavy bag on the floor and went to sit on the bed. She took off her black lace up boots and and tied her caramel-highlighted brunette hair in a high ponytail. She closed the curtains and the door and started stripping to her underwear while eyeing the dress on top of the table. "Have you finished the dress yet?" she asked loudly but there was no reply. "Ken?" she called, puzzled. She shook off Ken's silence and took out her little make-up bag to retrieve her contacts. She took off her glasses, stood in front of Ken's dresser mirror and carefully placed the clear contact lenses on her eyes so she could still see clearly without looking like a dork._ Damn, this effing party better be worth it._ She sighed and blinked as she finished putting on her contacts, took her little bag of make-up and went to the bathroom. She knocked loudly on the door. "Ken, what the fuck are you doing?! Hurry up and do my make-up!"

Jack scrambled like a rat inside the bathroom when he heard the loud knocks. He felt like he's choking to death. He looked around him and tried to find an exit but there was nowhere to run. The windows are too high up the building to even attempt to jump and it's also too small for his physique. The only thing that's left to do is to say sorry and possibly charm his way out. With his heart pounding, Jack opened the door. "Who the fuck are you?!" Casey said as she pushed the stranger aside and scrambled into the bathroom to get a towel. "I... Uhh-" Jack wanted to come up with an easy explanation but couldn't think of any. His brain stopped working. He was frozen on his feet as he stared at this pretty brunette who was wearing nothing but a lacy bra and matching panties. "Oh, I know! You must be Ken's new boyfriend!" she said as she wrapped her body with a bath towel, her big brown eyes staring back at him in wonder. "Where's Ken?!" she asked.

Snap.

Jack shook his head. "No... Uhhh... I- I'm not. I was the owner of this room... before... and I just went back to get this," he said showing the girl the box he was holding. "I'm really sorry, the door was unlocked so I thought..." he stuttered with every word as he looked at the pretty brunette's reddening face. Suddenly Jack's phone rang out loud, dragging them both out of their reveries. It was Finn calling. "Oh shit, I have to go. I'm very sorry!" He ran out of the room and flew down the stairs, almost knocking down an Asian boy with glasses. He fumbled a small sorry and ran out of the building, sweating like a sailor under the sun. They were all probably looking for him while he was there, in his old university room, staring at a pretty girl in nothing but her underwear.

_Jesus Christ, what was that Jack?!_

###


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: Memory Gap**

It's been two weeks since Casey saw an anonymous guy pop out of Ken's bathroom and yet it still bothered her. She tried to look for the guy on every nook and cranny of the university but couldn't seem to find him. She asked the people from Ken's floor about the guy who owned her best friend's room before he moved in there and they knew very little about him basically because the guy, apparently, stayed there for one term only. She remembered his fair skin, his brown hair and his startling green eyes. She remembered the shirt he was wearing that day, a shirt that says "Ultimate Man."

_Well he IS the ultimate man now! The ultimate man I want to see again!_

* * *

Jack has been very busy all week with collaborations and meetings. Today he's helping his mate Marcus Butler film a new YouTube video. Marcus' camera had to be serviced that day which is why he asked Jack to help him film his next video. "I'll go get changed. You alright here mate?" Marcus asked. "Yeah, I'll be fine. But don't take too long, I'll miss you!" Jack replied laughing while transferring videos from his camera's memory card to his laptop. It was then that he noticed a clip he did not recognize at all. He opened the video clip and it showed his old university room which is now owned by another student. It all came back to him in a rush; His heart hammering, his mind going blank, his words stuck in his throat and his feet as he ran as fast as he could to get away from the situation at hand. Jack closed the video and tried to get the memory out of his head. No one knew about the incident, not even Finn. He knew that if his twin brother Finn found out he'd go ballistic. He tried to stay focused all throughout the filming but half of his mind was somewhere far away, back in Bristol. "You alright, mate?" Marcus asked as he watched Jack who was reviewing the clips they have recorded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"You seem to be preoccupied. What's with you, man?"

"It's nothing!"

"Oh?! It's a girl isn't it?!"

"Why do you want to know?!"

"Because I'm going to send that cheeky girl lots of hate letters so she'll stay away from you!" Marcus joked and they both laughed.

* * *

Casey ran down the stairs with her coat and her bag in her arms. She was just in time for Ken, who was waiting for her in the car outside. "Dad, I'm leaving!" James went out of the kitchen with his apron on, carrying a plate of waffles. "You sure you don't want to call Ken in and have breakfast first?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek. "Dad, London is two hours away from here. We need to get going," she answered, but her dad was back in the kitchen. She tied her shoelaces and checked the mirror again hoping her artsy tank top with a picture of an elephant, her leggings and pink Chucks doesn't look too 'American' for her trip to the city. Her dad came back with two paper bags. "Eat this on the way, okay? The other one's for Ken. You guys have fun!" he said with a smile.

It may seem weird, but Casey thinks having two mothers is the best thing she could ever have in life. Well, technically she has a mother and a father. But in all fairness, Casey felt that James was more of a mom to her, growing up. He came out of the closet when Casey was in high school. He decided to end the marriage and move back to Bristol to make a new life. It's probably also why she had many gay friends over the years. She love being with gays. They are fun to be with, smart and savvy. Take Ken, for example. He makes dresses for her and gives her the best advice that boys otherwise would be too shy to give and girls would be too vain to share. He was the only person who knew about the mysterious guy she saw two weeks ago.

To distract her from her obsessive thinking, Ken arranged a weekend in London for the two of them. His family owns a small apartment in Central London and he lived there for years before moving to Bristol to study. Just like Casey, Ken was born in the U.S. His family moved to the UK when he was a 13. "So, what are we going to do in London today?" Casey asked, faking a British accent. Ken laughed and took a bite of his waffle. "Well, I was thinking that after getting to the apartment I can take you to a special café for breakfast. But since we've already had waffles, maybe we should just buy some coffee and do some shopping!"

"Ooohhh shopping... I hate shopping. Back in LA I only shop for clothes when my mom threatens to kill me!"

"Well FYI, this isn't America, the land of the free. This is UK, the land of the posh and the fashionable! I'll help you get rid of those Chucks and get you some highlights."

"What's wrong with my Chucks?!"

"Too dirty," he said and they burst out laughing.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Finn asked Jack to tag along on their trip to Central London. Jo, Finn's girlfriend, was planning a party for her sister and needed some help in buying party stuff and picking out clothes. And since Finn wasn't very excited at the thought of doing nothing but shopping all day, he figured he needed his brother's company. "I'm taking Sophie," Jack said. Sophie was the name he gave his red pennyboard which he usually takes with him when they're on the streets. "Yeah, that's a nice excuse for a girlfriend" Finn teased. The two were practically inseparable especially now that they both decided to drop out of college to do YouTubing full time. They went from shop to shop, checking out clothes and party supplies. Jo went on to look for a dress for the party while Jack went away to buy some food. Finn was left to wander in the store. "Hey!" a voice behind him said and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see a girl in a weird looking tank top, her arms crossed. "Hi!" Finn greeted, smiling sweetly. "Hi, do you remember me? Because I'm pretty sure I remember you" the girl said.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember you at all. Where did we meet exactly?" the man asked Casey. She sighed impatiently and gave him an incredulous look. "At the University Hall, remember? You were there two weeks ago, you broke into my friend's room and you..." She stopped when she saw the man's very confused face. "Oh, you don't remember?" Ken finally snapped out of ogling the good looking man Casey went up to. He looked at his best friend's face and knew, almost instantly, that it was time to intervene. He took Casey's arm and gently tugged her away. _This isn't good. At all. _"Casey, let's go."

"No," she said, pulling her arm free. "Hey listen. I am a hundred percent sure that you know what I'm talking about so stop acting like you don't know me!" Jo, who was busy checking out dresses, heard Finn's voice and the commotion from the next aisle. She rushed to Finn's side. "Finn, what's happening?"

"I literally have no idea," Finn answered.

"Oh you have no idea now? Well let me give you an idea. You barged into someone else's room a few days ago, saw something really- private- and now you're pretending like you didn't! Look Mister, I will not hesitate to report you of-"

"Casey, stop it. Let's go!" Ken held on to his friend's arm and wrestled her away from the baffled man and his blonde girlfriend. Jo noticed that the shop attendants are taking notice of the situation and knew that it will not do Finn any good. "Finn, let's get out of here. Quick." The couple headed straight to the door and went out of the shop. "Hey! hey!" Casey shouted. She freed her arm from Ken, went out of the shop and charged towards the couple. "Hey! You owe us an apology, you know?!"

"I'm sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about!" Finn answered, his voice raising as he walked away from the American sounding girl. Jack, who was eating an ice cream nearby heard the exchange and knew it was his brother's angry voice instantly. He took his skateboard and ran to Finn. "What happened?" Finn turned to his brother, his face was flushing with confusion and anger. "Crazy fangirl, I think. I swear that girl must be mental!" Finn answered. The twins both looked back at the weird girl who is now being dragged by her friend across the street. It was then that Jack saw the brown hair and the caramel highlights that he realized who it was. "Hey! Talk to me, you perv! You know me!" Casey shouted. Her blood was boiling over and her feet and arms were hurting. "Ken, let go of me! He is not getting away with this!"

"Casey, calm down, please! People are looking, for heaven's sake! Don't make a scene here, it's your first day in London!" Ken was flushing and sweating with tension and fear. He stopped dragging Casey for a while and helped her collect herself. Casey placed her hand on her forehead and took a deep breath. Then he saw him. The handsome guy was crossing the street over to them. The weird thing he noticed though is that he was almost so sure that the guy wore a different shirt a few seconds ago. Panicking, he grabbed Casey's arm and started pulling her again away from the guy. "Hey!" the man called out as the he took her away, farther from him. "Wait!"

Casey spun around and saw the man again. He was carrying a red skateboard and was following them. She halted and pulled Ken with her and then walked towards the man. It was him. "Look I'm sorry, that was my twin brother you talked to. He didn't know what happened" the man explained. Casey fell silent ang her mouth dropped in surprise. She looked back at the couple across the street who were watching them._ He has a twin brother?! What the heck is happening?! _"Great, that wasn't you! She's fine, she's just a little upset but she'll be okay. Thanks, but we actually need to go." Ken told Jack. He pulled at Casey's arm again, away from this trouble-making man. "You know actually, it's not okay!" Casey said. "You, sir, have trespassed my friend's room and have seen things you clearly shouldn't have."

"I know that! Look, I don't think its appropriate to be talking about this in public." Jack was flushing and blushing all at the same time as he looked around him. People were definitely looking. "Here, give me your hand," Jack said. He took a pen out of his pocket and held out his left hand, his wrists teeming with fan-made bracelets. "Come on, give me your hand" he prodded. Reluctantly, Casey held up her hand to the stranger with her palm up. The guy bit the cap off the pen, took her hand and wrote a number on her palm. "Okay that's my home number and my name. Please just call me so we can talk about this in private and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, okay?" Casey merely nodded her head. The guy turned away and ran back to where his brother is. She was left in a daze as she watched her ultimate man walk back to the other side of the road. When he was positively gone, she looked at her sweaty palm.

(020) 496 - 7151, Jack.

###


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: Filling the Gaps**

Casey stared at her sweaty palm long enough to memorize the number. (020) 496 - 7151. "The phone does not have legs, you know?" Ken called out. Casey's eyes widen as she looked at her best friend's serious face. "Dude, I don't know if I should even call this guy!"

"You know what, on a normal day I'd say that you shouldn't call the guy because your obsession to his explanation is just so bizarre you'll creep him to death. But after what you did this morning, I think you need to justify your stupid scene-making." Casey stared at her friend, thinking hard. "Was it that bad?" she then asked, worry washing over her like cold water. It was a very rash decision to walk up to the man and demand an explanation from him. She didn't even think. She had been so insistent on finding him that the moment she saw those green eyes she had completely lost her bearing. "Yes, and it was really embarrassing, " he said. He gave out a loud sigh and stood up. He walked towards her from across the living room of his parent's apartment, sat next to her and brushed a strand of hair from her shoulder. "Dear, you have to remember that you're not in LA anymore. You're in the land of tea and biscuits and beautiful people. So please don't do that again or I will spank you so hard and stop making dresses for you." Casey laughed with relief and nodded. Being with Ken somehow makes everything okay even if her brain is so muffled with thoughts of the man he met a few hours earlier. She shook her head, gave her friend one last smile and reached for the telephone lying on top of a small side table.

* * *

The Harries family was having dinner at home when the phone rang. Jack froze, his spoon stopping in midair. He looked at Finn who was sitting beside him, small waves of anxiety rippling through his brain. "I'll get it," Finn said, standing up just in time before Jack does too. He went to the living room where the phone was situated. He could have answered it from the kitchen phone but thought better of it. With Jack's weird reaction, he knew something was up and this phone call would probably answer his suspicions. "Hello?" Finn heard nothing but heavy breathing. "Hello?"

"Hello? May I speak to Jack, please?"

"Who is this?"

"This is Casey."

"Casey?"

"Oh, Umm..." Her heart was beating so fast that she felt like it was about to jump from her chest. _Shit, how am I supposed to say this?_ She gave Ken, who was sitting beside her, a slightly panicked look. "I'm the girl in the store this morning... The one with... I mean I was the one who..." Finn heard another uncomfortable silence at the other end of the line. Normally, he would be pissed off with people who are slow to answer. But at the moment he found himself smiling at the thought of a stranger on the other end of the line who can't even get past introducing herself. "Hello? Jack's here but we're actually having dinner right now so if you need to tell him anything..." he trailed. "Oh," Casey snapped back to reality and cleared her throat. She was never the type of person who was ever at a loss for words. "Right, I'm so sorry for interrupting but can you just tell Jack to meet me tomorrow, if he wants to. I can't really talk about this over the phone and I'll be leaving London tomorrow so... Yeah. I mean, that's just if he wants to..."

"Sure," Finn said. There was still something about this whole ordeal that makes him really curious. Jack did tell him that he knew the girl and that the girl mistook him for Jack because they were identical twins, of course. But he didn't explain how they met or why he seem hesitant to talk about her. "I'm sorry, what did you say was your name again?"

"It's Casey. Casey Freeman."

"Casey, that's a nice name!" Finn said, looking back to the kitchen where his family was eating. His brother, he found out, was watching him as he talked over the phone. "You know Jack says he'll meet you at Nando's at about 1PM. It's just across the store where we met this morning."

"We?"

"Yeah! This is Finn, his brother. I was the guy you talked to this morning at the shop." _Oh shit. Oh damn!_ Casey's face went white for a moment there. "Oh, damn. I am so sorry about that. I really didn't know Jack had a... twin. And please tell your girlfriend that I apologize for what I did, it's really embarrassing... What I did there." Finn heard an inaudible sigh at the other end of the line. "That's alright! It happens a lot, you know. It's not the first time I got shouted at because they thought I was Jack!" Casey heard the light chuckle at the other end and felt like her lungs were melting away. _Right, so he's the better twin. _She sucked in a large amount of air and let it sit in her lungs for a two seconds. All she mustered to say was a small "Oh, I see."

"Right, well..." Finn felt the other person drift away in awkward silence. "Jack will see you tomorrow!"

"Uhh, yeah... Sure! I'll be there. Thank you! And I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Finn said. "Good night!"

"Good night..." Casey slowly put the receiver down and stared into nothingness. "What did he say?" Ken asked, excitedly shaking Casey's arm as she sat there motionless. The short telephone talk left her reeling and gasping for air. "We're meeting up tomorrow..." she answered, still quite speechless. Silently, at the back of her mind, she wished Finn was the one who crashed into Ken's room two weeks ago.

* * *

Jack's been fidgety all evening while his brother had a weird smile plastered on his face and it annoyed him a lot. "Finn, who was that?" he whispered as they finished their meal. Finn gave his brother a cheeky smile and a little chuckle. Once their parents were out of earshot, Finn nudged Jack, smiled and said "You have a date tomorrow."

"What?!"

"Yeah, your friend called... You know, the small brunette who shouted at me this afternoon?" Jack was dumbstruck. He had no idea who the girl was let alone her name. All he had was a very vivid recollection of her surprised face, her wide, brown eyes and her racy lace underwear. He shook the thoughts away from his head. "Why, what did she say?" Jack answered nonchalantly. Finn pursed his lips and stared back at his identical brother who clearly was feigning a small interest. He tried not to laugh as they walked up to their separate rooms. "She said she wanted to talk to you so I said you'll meet her at Nando's tomorrow! That's at 1PM so don't be late!"

"What? Why'd you say that?!"

"You have to go, I already told her you'd go."

"No! I won't! You should have given me the phone, I could have talked to her myself."

"Oh come on, Mate, it's not that bad? I thought she was your friend?!" Finn gave Jack a challenging look, his smile laced with mischief. Jack, on the other hand, was getting more and more irritated with this person who looked just like him. "Fine, I don't really know her. I have no idea who that girl is. What if she's a crazy fan or something?"

"Well, clearly you recognize her. I don't think she's some fan because otherwise she'd know me."

"Well, what if she's just acting that out?"

"What is up with you and that girl?" Finn asked, now more curious than ever. But Jack didn't answer. He spun around, shaking his head, and went to his room. "Oh come on, man, it's not that bad!" Finn called behind him but his response was to shut the door to his bedroom.

* * *

The next day, Casey found herself sitting alone in one of the outside tables at Nando's. She stared at the menu's vivid pictures of sumptuous chicken meals. Her thoughts however floated back to Jack and his piercing green eyes as he surveyed her half naked body from top to bottom. Her cheeks heated up in an instant and she shook the images away before she gets deeper into it. _I have to be cool and calm. I can't make a scene here. Oh my god, what am I doing here anyway?_ Half of her, however, was wishing that Finn would come along so she could see him again and apologize personally for what she said yesterday.

Jack spotted the girl from across the street, where his car was parked, as she sat alone outside Nando's. He couldn't quite see her face as she was reading the big Nando's menu but he was very certain that it was her because of her hair color and build. He wore his aviator glasses, checked his hair in the rear view mirror and went out of his car. As he entered the restaurant, he was greeted by one of the waiters who knew, based on experience, that he and his friends were regulars who were very close to the store's manager. The restaurant was, after all, dubbed as the British YouTuber's hub. Jack watched Casey who was deep in thought and was staring absentmindedly on the menu in front of her. As he neared, he was reminded of her pretty face and very fair complexion of which he saw too much the first time he met her. He came up to her and stood beside her, but her drowning thoughts prevented her from even noticing the young man standing there. Jack looked down and saw her shiny crown of brown hair with golden highlights which was hanging about her like a soft blanket. He noticed her long lashes and her long, elegant fingers. Jack looked around him and realized he's been standing there like a noob. He tapped her shoulder and she look up to him, her big brown eyes startled like a cat's.

Casey held her breath for what felt like an eternity. Here's a young man in a simple white shirt, jeans and aviator shades that sure looked like a god but clearly didn't give too many cares in his life. She checked behind him and realized he was alone. Her heart sank. The guy sat across her and called a waiter who gave him a broad smile. As the server approached, the young man faced her. "Have you ordered anything yet?" She blinked twice. "What? Oh," Casey looked back on her menu after being partially enchanted by his perfect set of teeth. "Uh, nope. Actually, I don't know what to order. I don't think there's a Nando's at LA and I haven't tried the one in Bristol" she answered as she leafed through the menu. Jack bit his lip and tried not to giggle. _She's been staring at the menu for so long and she still didn't know what to order? _

"Yeah, I haven't tried the one in Bristol too. That one's always too busy" he said as he feigned looking through the menu and watched as she read the list of food in front of her. "Well, why don't you order for me then, since you seem to be a regular here?" Casey said, closing the menu. She gazed back at Jack who had, apparently, been watching her all along. He smiled, took off his shades and looked at her, his prominent eyebrows arched high. He had to admit, at least to himself, that her spunky personality, not to mention her body, which he saw two weeks ago, spoke to him in a very intriguing way. "Okay," he answered. The waiter came, took the order and left. Jack shamelessly stared again at this stranger who was looking around her. "What are you studying at Bristol?" he asked.

"What?"

"I said, what are you studying at Bristol?"

"Oh, I'm studying Drama."

"I studied Drama too!"

"Really?!"

"Well, technically I'm a dropout."

"You dropped out? Why?"

"I had to. I pursued... something else" Jack trailed, his right hand reaching for the back of his neck. He seemed to do this every time he was unconsciously anxious of something, and at the moment, talking about his dropping out of his university unsettled him. He then looked into Casey's eyes to see if she's just faking her reaction. Clearly this girl does not have any idea who he was. So Jack smiled and sipped some water. "So, why did you take Drama?" He placed his cheek on his palm and his elbow on the table, goading her on to tell her story. "Well, because I like it. I'm sure you had the same reasons..." she answered as she watched the waiter lay down their food. _Hmmm... Fancy chicken burgers. How do I eat this shit?!_

"Nope, I studied Drama because I need it..." Casey hid a scoff, picked a crisp on the side of her plate and said, "Why, are you an actor or something?" Jack looked for signs of lying but couldn't see any. She was looking straight into his eyes, her pretty smile plastered on her face. "You can say that..." Jack trailed. Casey looked back at this man who had been eating his chips. _Is he serious? Is he really a celebrity around here?_

###


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: The Gaping Hole**

Jack smiled at this girl who barely knew him and remembered how just a few days ago, he saw her wearing nothing but some lacy knickers and a bra. _Stop it, Jack! _He immediately looked away knowing that it was very wrong for a gentleman like him to think of such things in front a lady. "Really? Are you like a UK celebrity?" the girl asked. Jack smiled and leaned forward to her across the table and whispered, "What if I am?" Casey was taken aback, a confused smile playing on her lips. She then leaned forward towards Jack who was sitting across the table from her and whispered back. "What if I don't care?" She then smiled sweetly, took a small crisp and popped it into her mouth. Jack giggled, leaned back to his chair and proceeded to cut through his chicken. Casey, on the other hand, took the burger in her hands and took a big bite.

Jack watched as this girl ate her Nando's burger with her hand. It was fascinating how she can so easily eat a chicken burger like this without even caring who she's with or where she was. In Casey's head, she knew this was how people should eat their burgers and Jack saw exactly that through the glint of joy in her eyes. She ate heartily and didn't even take notice of the very generous amount of oil that dripped to her plate. He dropped his fork and knife, took the burger in his hand and ate the same way she did. They locked eyes and smiled as they ate in silence.

Halfway through her burger, Casey wiped her mouth with the napkin and talked. "So, are you going to tell me why exactly were you in Ken's room that day? Because for your information, all you did last time was ramble a lame-ass excuse that I didn't even understand before running away from me." Jack blinked back at her as he chewed his food. _Should I be honest about this?_ He set his burger down to his plate like she did, wiped his mouth and fingers with the napkin and looked at Casey who was looking back at him expectantly. "Okay, but no judgments."

"Fine," she answered.

"Right. See, I entered the university last September even though I wasn't very sure if I should or not."

"Why were you hesitant?"

"Because going to university is like a family... tradition, I guess... and because I worked hard to get into Bristol but somehow I felt like I wanted to do something else..."

"Which is...?" Casey said as she took another bite of her hamburger.

"YouTubing."

"Sorry, what?"

"I'm a YouTuber. I do video blogs on YouTube for a living. And that's also why you saw me in your friend's dorm."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, two weeks ago, I needed something to talk about for my vlog and then I suddenly realized that I missed Bristol, and I missed going university. So Finn, my identical twin, who was by the way the man you shouted at yesterday, and me decided to pay a visit. And since I'm back at the university I thought I might as well go back to the University Hall, where I stayed before and check out who's using my room now."

"Which is, apparently, my best friend Ken."

"Yep" Jack said and took another bite of his burger. "Okay..." Casey answered trailing as she looked down on her plate. "So are you still mad at me?" Jack said after a few seconds of awkward silence. Casey just stared at him and sighed. "You know I'm not really mad because you trespassed our- I mean my friend's room. What I'm really bothered about is what you saw..."

"I swear I didn't see anything!" Jack said defensively.

"Yes you did! You did see something and it was right before your eyes, Jack" Casey said, seething with embarrassment, her face as red as a strawberry. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice down and keep calm. "Look, just please be honest with me. You did see something... you almost saw everything! And we both know that."

"Fine. I am so sorry... But can't we just forget it ever happened and not mention it?"

"You can easily do that Jack, but I can't. You're not the one caught half naked by some stranger."

"I know..." Jack said, his eyes filled with sincerity. "Well, how can I make it up to you..." At some point he was getting annoyed by all the drama this American girl brought to the table. _What does she really want from me? _Casey stared at him, thinking of something rational to say. "Honestly, I don't know..." Casey answered, sighing. "I mean, I really appreciate your explanation..." She paused and looked away, feeling Jack's green eyes piercing through her once again. _Why am I doing this anyway? Why am I here?_ She couldn't find any other reason except for the fact that she can't seem to get the incident out of her mind no matter how she tried. She looked back at Jack who was gazing at her, waiting for his answer. "Well, maybe all I need is a big, sincere sorry from you and the assurance that no one will ever know about it."

"Okay," Jack leaned forward and moved his water glass aside to clear the space between them. He looked directly to her, his green eyes almost breaking through her soul. Her heart constricted and skipped a beat. "I am genuinely, truly sorry for what happened. I didn't mean it, I swear to god what happened is not... malicious... And I swear nobody knew and no one will ever find out." Casey was taken aback by his earnest words. His clear green eyes looking through her as if he's trying to read her mind. She stared back, trying to see just what it is that brought her to make a scene in yesterday just to make him remember who she was. She tried to think of a more logical reason for all of these but still couldn't find any. So she looked down on her half-eaten burger and smiled. "Thanks..." she mumbled. "So Finn doesn't know, huh?" Jack smiled upon hearing her speak of his twin.

"No, he'd go ballistic if he found out... And so would you, I think..." he said cheekily. He had sensed, by the way she asked about Finn, that she fancies him. _Well, every girl fancies Finn. _Casey turned red again and tried to hide it by laughing it off. It made Jack smile without him knowing. "So, this will be our little cheeky secret, isn't it?" Jack said, smiling.

"Yes. This should be our little secret!" she answered giggling. Without him knowing it, Jack has slipped into an easy conversation with a new found friend, something he doesn't seem to have the luxury to have these days. He and Casey, a university girl she met two weeks ago, managed to finish their burgers while talking about everything they loved and hated about their lives as drama students. Casey, who seem to have forgotten how awkward it was for her to talk face to face with the guy who saw her half naked, told lots of stories about her second term in the university. It seemed strange to her that she never once noticed this guy who may have been in one of her classes during her first term. Maybe she just wasn't that observant. Maybe she was just too detached from things, something she may have unconsciously done ever since moving to London. After finishing her cup of tea, she looked at her watch. "Oh, shit!"

"What is it?" asked Jack who was almost finished with his own cup of tea. "It's half past four, I promised Ken I'd be back by four because we have to go back Bristol today!" Jack looked on his watch and realized, quite surprisingly, that they have been talking for more than four hours. "Oh wow, that was quick! I didn't even notice the time!" He watched as Casey checked her iPhone for messages and shook her head upon seeing about ten texts that came from a very worried Ken. "Oh my god, me too!" Casey quickly sipped more water and collected her things. "I'm sorry I really need to go." Casey took out her wallet and started counting bills.

"Casey, stop that. I'm paying for this."

"No way, we need to split the bill."

"Oh come on, I'm trying to make it up to you. Please?" But the girl was adamant. Casey took out some bills and placed it on the table as Jack was calling the waiter for the tab. "Jack, hey, I really need to go so I'll leave this here. No but's, okay?" Jack spun around just as Casey was getting ready to leave. The waiter was approaching their table with the tab. "Wait! Okay, I'm taking this. But at least let me drive you to where your friend is." Casey halted and watched as Jack looked down at the bill, took his own wallet and added more bills to her own. She was still unsure as to how they ended up talking for almost four hours when she didn't even want to talk to him in the first place. "You know it's actually pretty close from here, all I need to do is walk back to Ken's apartment."

"Then I'll walk with you!" he said as he stood up from the table. Casey, who was about to leave, watched with amazement as Jack slipped on his aviator glasses, took her elbow and escorted her to the street.

###


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: Closing the Gaps**

"So, which way do we go?" Jack asked as they got out of the busy restaurant and into London's cold breeze. Casey looked around her. People were busily walking past them, the noise of the cars drowning her anxiety little by little. "This way," Casey said pointing to her right. They walked in silence as dusk settled upon the city. Casey kept stealing quick glances from the good-looking man walking beside her when out of nowhere a teenage girl popped in front of them.

"Oh my god, Jack!" the girl squealed in delight and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Hi!" Jack said smiling. He looked at Casey and almost laughed out loud because of her reaction. Her mouth was hanging open and her brown eyes bigger than it already is. Casey felt like she was watching a very weird movie. _Oh my god, it's true! He IS a freakin' celebrity_! Jack took off his glasses and smiled to his fan who squealed some more that she sounded like dying. "Oh my god, Jack!" the girl said again. "Oh my god, can we please take a picture, please?" the teenage girl took out her iPhone, pushed it into Casey's hand and stood beside Jack. Casey, meanwhile, was more dumbstruck than ever. _What the heck is this girl thinking? Does she think I'm his P.A. or something?_ With a sigh, she positioned the iPhone in her hands and stood in front of Jack and the girl. "Alright... One, two, three..." she called out and quickly snapped the picture. She stared at Jack's image on the phone, smiling so broadly that you couldn't see if he was amused or too happy with the fact that his fan stopped him on the street in perfect timing. The girl took the iPhone from her hand and turned to Jack saying things that Casey couldn't seem to comprehend. She looked at her watch. It's 5:00. "Hey Jack, I really need to go..."

Jack who had been busy signing a carrier bag looked back at Casey. "Sorry," he said to the girl and put on his sunglasses back "We need to go." He smiled and took Casey by the hand and walked away. Casey, on the other hand, was still staring at Jack, her mouth gaping at him as she trailed behind. "What?" Jack asked. "Do people really stop you on the streets like that?" she asked as she tried to keep up with his long strides. "Not really, that's actually a bit tamer than the usual."

"What, so you get mobbed in the streets?! Stripped naked by fangirls? Get freaky mails from strangers?" Jack laughed at her witty but very serious question. "Occasionally" He answered straining not to laugh out loud. They almost reached the intersection when Jack looked at Casey while still holding her hand. He laughed at the confused state she had on her face. "What?!" he asked while he snickered seeing her incredulous reaction. "Nothing..." Casey answered after a long pause and then looked away. "We go this way," she pointed to her left and moved away from Jack's grasp. She walked briskly, trying not to look at him as they walked again in awkward silence. Jack felt her discomfort with what she recently found out about him and he found it surprising that she didn't even probe about his popularity or his YouTube channel. Not once did she ask about his viewership or his social media fans. All she had was a bewildered facial reaction that made him want to laugh out loud. He felt her slipping away from him further as she walked. "I'm sorry you got caught up with that" Jack told Casey as he caught up with her. _I can't lose her now._

Casey almost sprinted, her feet quickly paving the road and her arms swaying on her sides. _Ken's going to kill me! He'd go crazy once he hears this._ She cared less about the fact that she needed to get back to Bristol in time. What she wanted was to get away and give her brain some time to process this information. "Hey!" Jack said as he caught up with her. He grasped her right hand and held it as they walked. Casey looked down and walked slower, letting Jack hold her hand. Jack raised her right hand and looked at her palm. "Oh, you still have my number on your hand!"

"Yeah," Casey looked at their intertwined fingers and took her hand from Jack. "I think you used a permanent marker or something. I can't scrub it off this morning!" Jack felt his jeans pocket and produced the pen he used to sign the fangirl's bag. "You mean this?" Casey took the pen that Jack handed her and walked more slowly. She squinted because she couldn't see the small writing and read the label on the pen."It's a CD marker, Jack. No wonder it stays on my skin!" she told him, half laughing. She couldn't help herself. She smiled at the thought of her grumpily washing her hands this morning. What was left was a grayish mark of Jack's name and telephone number on her palm. Jack took her hand looked at it again. "It just doesn't come off, does it? I bet it's gonna stay there for days!" He snickered like a kid which made her laugh some more.

"Stop laughing, it's not funny!" Casey said trying to look angry though her insides were hurting. "You know, this is very unfair. You already owe me a lot!" Jack laughed louder upon hearing her words and stopped suddenly. A thought came to his mind. Smiling he said, "Well then why don't you do the same to me?"

"What?!" Casey said. She was looking around for the building that housed Ken's flat. "Write on my palm too, using this pen!" Casey stopped in front of a street and looked back at Jack who was catching up with her. "Are you serious?!" she asked, scoffing. Jack nodded and came closer to her. He gave her the pen, looked into her eyes and smiled more broadly. _Come on, give me your number..._ Casey looked back at Jack and bit her lower lip. She smiled, took the CD marker and took Jack's hand. Jack placed his right hand, palms up, on hers. "Oh god, I don't want to see this!" he said, a big grin forming on his face. Casey was also giggling like crazy. "This is crazy!" she said as she drew a small smiley face on his palm wrote her mobile number underneath.

"Oh my god, is it that long?! It's all over my palm, isn't it? I hope you didn't drew a penis or something." Casey laughed out loud as she finished writing her number. She closed the marker with its cap and said "It's done!" then placed the pen on Jack's hand and turned away laughing. Jack slowly opened his eyes. He saw the crazy smiley face on his palm and it mirrored on his face when he saw what's underneath. He closed his hands and made a small fist pump in the air.

"Hey, there's Ken!" Casey pointed to an approaching car and waved at it. It stopped beside her as the windows slowly rolled down, revealing the bespectacled Asian guy. "Where have you been? I was just about to pick you up, what took you so long?" Ken asked. It was then that Ken noticed that Casey wasn't alone. "I'm so sorry Ken, I'll explain it all later." Jack walked slowly behind Casey, a cheeky smile on his lips. He hid his right fist and waved at Ken with his left hand instead. "Hello," he greeted. "Sorry we took so long, we just didn't notice the time."

"Oh, Ken remember him? He's the guy who owned your university room before you! Jack, this is Ken" Casey said turning to Jack. "And Ken, this is Jack!" Ken smiled playfully and held out his right hand to the delicious smiling sight behind his best friend." Pleased to meet you Mr. Trespasser," he said laughing. "Could you please let me take my best friend home now? Her father's going to kill me." They all laughed. Casey turned to Jack and said goodbye then awkwardly gave him a hug which he returned graciously. She then smiled, moved to the other side of the car and waved back. The car started moving away and Jack was left to walk back to his own car. "Wait, Jack!" He walked faster to keep up with the halting car, just a few inches before him. "Yup?" he asked as he crouched down to the open window. "Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor? If you have a friend who needs an events host or a wedding singer or whatever, give me a call." Casey shouted out the window. Jack frowned for a while and then nodded as the car went away. _Did she just say she was a host and singer?_

###


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: A Live Encounter**

Jack stared at his palm that Sunday morning. He shouldn't have asked Casey to write on it a week ago. He completely forgot that he and Finn would have a live broadcast and the writing on his hand would surely be noticeable unless he wears a glove, which would be stupid since summer has just begun in London. He tried washing it off to no avail. It looked like a bad henna tattoo. Meanwhile, Finn was busy preparing breakfast. He called out to Jack who's still in his pajamas, texting on his iPhone as he came down the stairs. _Who's he texting at this hour?_ Since he and Jack dropped out of university, Jack lost touch with his old friends and university acquaintances. He also isn't the type of person who would text all day. "What are you doing?" Finn finally asked.

Jack was busy looking back and forth from his right hand to his iPhone, trying to copy Casey's number without fully opening his hand so Finn won't see. "Uhh... Nothing..." he said, nonchalantly as he sat on a chair at the dining table. Finn sat beside him and laid down a bowl of cereals and a carton of milk. "So, what are we doing tonight? Are doing Q&A again?" Finn asked as he poured some milk into the bowl. "Uhh... Yeah..." Jack answered without looking up. He contemplated finding her on Facebook or Twitter but he realized that he forgot to even ask for her last name or her username. All he knew was her name, Casey. He started typing out a message.

_Jack: I can't take it off my hand! - Jack_

"Jack!"

"What?" he answered, startled. He finally looked up to Finn who was staring at him. "What are you doing? You're not even listening!" Finn complained as he ate a spoonful of colorful cereals. "Sorry, what were you saying?" Jack tapped on Send and turned to his twin brother who was watching him closely. "I said maybe we should try something new. We've been doing Q&A for months now and it's getting boring." Jack laid down his iPhone on the kitchen counter and got up from the table to get his own bowl of cereals. "What'd you reckon we should do?"

"Well, maybe we could invite someone over? Like another YouTuber? Or maybe do a little game or something?" Finn answered. Though Finn was very reluctant to be in Jack's videos at first, he is now a co-owner of the channel. They both decided that he should handle the marketing side of the business while Jack does the film making with their friend Will Darbyshire. The decision making however must be under mutual agreement, which is usually a long process of brotherly fighting and a few high fives here and there. "Who'd you reckon we should call? Like, if we invite someone over would it be anyone from the YouTube crew again?" Jack said as he filled his bowl. "We've had almost everyone on the show. How about Connor? Or Joe? Or..."

As Jack was sputtering names out loud, his iPhone buzzed on the table. Finn looked at his brother who was finally brainstorming for something new and looked at the phone he left behind. He took the iPhone and found that Jack had a new message.

_Casey: LOL I told you so. Don't blame me, you asked for it!_

Finn placed the iPhone back to its original position and acted as if nothing happened. _I reckon the date went well last week._ "...Or how about we invite Phil and Dan over?" Jack blabbered on, finally returning to the table. Finn ate a spoonful of cereal. "Yeah, but what if we..." he asked with his mouth half full. "...Invite someone who isn't a YouTuber? Like someone really unknown but whom we reckon people will love?"

Jack paused and thought for a moment as he chewed on his cereal. Is it possible? He remembered his cousin Eliza who was not very popular before he started Music Mondays. Most if his fans loved her voice and her bubbly personality, much like he and Finn did. "But what if they start hating that person?" Jack asked. "Like... Remember Eliza? Some people loved her but some people sent her hate stuff as well and that upset her" he said then looked at Finn who was busy eating. "Then we need someone who's likable but not too sensitive." Finn answered. Though unsure, Jack had only one name on his mind and that same name was written on the palm of his hand.

* * *

Casey almost choked on her waffles. It's been a week since she and Jack met in London. The writing on her palm is now of faint grey. Before they talked, she had no idea he was an Internet celebrity. He seemed like a regular, albeit good looking, guy. He surely did not seem to her like a popular kid when they first met in Ken's room. When she got back to Bristol, the first thing she did was Google his name. But then she realized she didn't have his last name, which made it almost impossible to find him. She typed a short response to Jack and quickly called Ken. "Hey Ken!"

"Honey, do you have any idea what time is it?"

"Ken... Listen to me... He texted me."

"Oh my god, you mean Internet Guy?" Ken answered waking up with a start on his bed. "Yeah..." Casey didn't know what to think or feel. She had trouble sleeping at night or thinking straight in the morning. For one thing, his name and number is still on her right hand. As the days passed, the feel of his hands on hers haunted her like a like a nightmare. His smile, his green eyes and his hearty laughter blind her like hug movie flashbacks. "Oh my god, is it a date?" Ken asked, pulling her out of her reverie. "Noooo..." she said. "He just said he can't take my number off his hand."

"That's a start!"

"Shut up, Ken!"

"You are such a prude!"

"I am not! So, what are we doin' tonight?"

"Are you sure you don't want to reserve your evening waiting for him to ask you out?" Casey sighed and rolled her eyes. God, gays are insatiable. "No, because he won't do that!" Casey smugly answered. Just then, her phone suddenly beeped. "Wait someone texted." She placed the call on hold and checked her inbox.

_Jack: I'm in big trouble. I have a live broadcast later tonight. Check if your handwriting is visible on my hand!_

Casey smiled, and replied with a short and simple Sure! She tapped on Ken's call which was on hold and giddily gave him the news. "Guess what? We're having an Internet marathon later! Bring your pajamas, you're sleeping over. Bye!"

* * *

Jack and Finn started preparing for their YouNow live broadcast by half past eight. They usually have it at 10PM on Sundays and tonight was one of the lucky nights they weren't too busy to do a broadcast. Jack was a lot more preoccupied though. He had been thinking of Finn's suggestion of bringing in someone new on their show; Someone people haven't seen before but could help them make the broadcasts more interesting.

Beep!

_Casey: Ken and I are wearin' our pajamas, we're ready for the 'spot my handwriting' game LOL :)_

Jack smiled and looked at his palm again where a smiley face mimicked his. Somehow, he found it exciting to know that Casey was about to watch him for the first time. He checked his hair in the mirror and got ready for the show.

Back in Bristol, Casey was running up the stairs bearing a bowl of newly microwaved popcorn. "Here they are!" Ken shouted from her room. She plopped down beside her best friend and giggled. "God, we're like kids!" she said as she sat down on a beanie bag in front of her laptop. After a week of trying to find him on the Internet, she finally found out his last name. Harries. By then she managed to subscribe to his YouTube channel and be friends with him on Twitter and Facebook. She even watched all his YouTube videos and somehow felt very guilty for ogling him all day and stalking him everywhere.

"Hey guys!" Jack's booming British accent blared over Casey's speakers. "Oh my god, they're super hot!" Ken said. Casey shushed her gushing best friend and just laughed as they ate popcorn. "So who's Jack and who's Finn?" he asked. Casey looked closer to the screen. She pointed to the twin wearing blue t-shirt and said she's pretty sure that was Finn while Jack was the one who was wearing a hoodie jacket. They watched as Jack goofed around while Finn was trying to explain how YouNow works."He's covering up his hands, look!" Casey pointed out. "Oops, there's the writing!" Ken exclaimed and pointed to Jack's hand as he was talking wildly.

_Casey: Strike one! You wore a hoodie, very clever._

Casey watched closely as Jack glanced at his phone. He pulled his blue hoodie's sleeve down to cover his hands. Jack smiled to the camera and she froze on her seat. She couldn't help but smile back, knowing quite well that Jack couldn't really see her. "Right, eyedoll567 says what is your eye color?" Finn said aloud. "It's green!" Jack answered. He stood up and suddenly, bright green orbs were right in front of them as Jack looked directly into the camera. "Oh my god, those eyes are stunning!" Ken whispered, his hand on his chest, breathless as Casey laughed. Finn, being the older of the twins, told Jack to sit back down on the couch and behave. He asked their audiences to imagine just how hard it was to live with a hyperactive twin. Jack, on the other hand, always tried to agitate Finn, who is older by two minutes, by doing silly things. "Oops, there it goes again!" Casey said pointing on the screen.

_Casey: Saw it twice now! You gotta be more careful than that!_

"Hey I just wanna say a massive shout out to Casey who's watching right now. You, mate, are doing a fantastic job out there" Jack said smiling broadly as he pointed at the camera. Casey's mouth dropped open, surprised that Jack even mentioned her to more than 20,000 people online. "Hey, someone says Jack what's that thing on your right hand?" Finn said reading the words out loud from the side of the screen where the chat box was moving slowly every second. Jack pretended not to know what he was talking about and hid his right hand from him. The two then wrestled on the couch with Finn getting the upper hand to see what Jack was hiding. Jack squealed, laughed and fought back. "It's nothing!" But Finn took hold of Jack's right hand and saw the black ink on his twin brother's hand. "Is that a handwriting?" He asked as Jack freed his hand from him and sat normally on the couch again. "It's just... A silly artwork done by a friend..." Jack answered innocently.

He rolled up his sleeves, hid Casey's mobile number with his other hand and showed her crazy smiling face doodle to the camera. "Here, that's my new hand tattoo, guys. I got it last Sunday, it was very, very painful but I actually liked it!" He said, a goofy smile painted on his face. Finn looked at Jack's hand which he now fully shared with his brother. "Who drew that on your hand?" Finn asked."I won't tell, but she MIGHT come visit one time here on our YouNow broadcast. I'm not sure yet. Guys, Finny and I are actually thinking of inviting someone over who isn't a YouTuber for fun, like when Eliza sat in on us one time. We're not sure about that yet but we're working it out" Jack explained as he rolled his sleeves down to hide Casey's number again.

Casey had a handful of popcorn suspended in mid air, her aghast face frozen in front of the laptop. "What the fuck?!"

###


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: The Makings of a YouTuber**

Ken slapped her in the arm and it woke her up from the temporary coma. "Why didn't I know about this?!" Casey just looked at him, her mouth still slack from what she heard. She felt like she just won a lottery jackpot but was so scared to even acknowledge it. "Because I didn't know either!" she answered after a few seconds of spacing out.

_Casey: Jack, what the heck was that about?_

* * *

Jack checked his phone absent mindedly and placed it back down. He couldn't allow himself to text freely in front of more than 20,000 viewers because he felt it was too rude for their audiences. He had to wait until the end of their broadcast. "Right, we got 10 minutes. By the way, guys, Jack and I will be going to some parts of the US in a week from now. We're going to Florida, New York and LA so follow us on Twitter, we'll let you know when we're getting there." Finn announced. Casey sighed at the amount of following these boys had and the fact that they could be going to her hometown. "I suddenly missed LA..." Casey said, voicing her thoughts. "I miss New York..." Ken said. They looked at each other and laughed. "Wait, what if we followed them there?" Ken said, a look of mischief and conspiracy crossing his face. "Are you kidding me? We have major exams next week, shut up!" Casey answered giggling.

"Oh, before we go let's play a little game on Twitter! We usually ask you to tweet someone or do some challenge on Twitter." Finn said as he looked over to his brother who seemed to be constantly checking his phone. _What's wrong with this guy? _He poked Jack's arm with his elbow. "Yeah! Uhh, how about at the count of three, tweet us the name or the username of a YouTuber that you want us to invite over for our next live broadcast!"Finn smiled at the camera and nodded his head. "Tweet us at JacksGap, FinnHarries and #jackandfinn with who you want to see on YouNow with us! 1...2...3...go!"

Ken immediately took his phone to start tweeting Ryan Higa's name. "Right, we'll go check that out tonight right after this. Also, if you have been taking screenshots, which many of you seemed to do, go wack them up on Tumblr and tag our names so we can reblog it." Finn said as he looked at the time. Jack was still distractedly checking on his phone. _Jesus, she might be angry at me for saying that! _Finn brought him back to the present by stepping gently on his shoe with his bare foot. Jack looked at the camera again and smiled. "Thanks for watching guys, we'll see you soon!" The twins waved at the camera and Jack almost forgot that he was hiding something on his hand. Casey whipped up her phone and texted Jack again.

_Casey: Strike four! You are so bad at this, I swear I could almost read my number from the screen!_

Finn hit the end of broadcast button and looked at Jack who was reading Casey's messages. "What did Casey say?" he asked while Jack scrolled down on his iPhone. "What?" Jack asked, totally distracted. "I said what did Casey say, she was watching when you said she might come over..."

"Why'd you reckon it was Casey I was talking about?"

"Because you've been checking your phone nonstop!"

"Yeah... Do you think she'd say yes, though?"

"Well, why don't you call her?" Finn suggested as he fiddled with the laptop while Jack was busy on his phone. He looked at his palm again and remembered Casey's face as she shouted out from the window, asking for a favor. As if on cue, Jack's thumb tapped on the red button. Casey almost jumped up when her phone rang. "Oh my god," she said, almost dropping the phone in panic and shock. "Is it him?" Ken asked, suddenly alert as he was mixing the face pack. Casey nodded. She signaled for Ken to be quiet and answered the phone on loudspeaker so that Ken, who sat beside her, can eavesdrop on the conversation. "Hello? Casey?" Jack said through the phone. Finn was beside him too, listening expectantly. "Hey Jack!" Casey answered, her voice quivering a little.

"Finn's here, you're on speaker phone!" Jack said.

"Hi Casey!" Finn greeted.

"Hey Finn, how are you?" Casey answered back, blushing like a little girl.

"Good, did you watch our broadcast?"

"Yeah, yes I did! You guys were great!"

"Thanks! Hey, listen. Do you think you can host the broadcast with us next week?" Jack asked her. Casey looked at Ken in panic. He signaled for her to keep calm. She took a deep breath and plunged into the unknown with caution. "I... Don't know... Are you guys sure about that?" Jack fidgeted a little as his twin brother listened silently. "Well, I reckon you'd be the perfect person to ask because you said you do hosting gigs and stuff?" Jack answered. Silence. Jack and Finn leaned towards the iPhone between them as they waited for Casey's answer. Jack bit one of his knuckles, anxious to find out if she would ever want to see him again. "Well, I do... But I've never actually hosted a web show or a live Internet broadcast..." At that point, Finn decided that he needed to interfere. Jack wasn't always the best at persuading people, but he found it easier to do. "It's actually quite easy, all you have to do is talk to the camera and interact with us," he said. "Oh..." she answered quietly. Casey felt like melting when she heard Finn's deep, chocolatey voice. Her insides churned as she remembered his pretty face. "So... Are you gonna do it?" Jack asked. Ken looked at Casey with wide eyes, as if telling her to tell the twins that she'll think it over. "Please?" Finn said in the sweetest voice he can manage.

"Yes," Casey blurted out even before she could think otherwise. She sighed when she heard the twins say "Yes!" in the background. _Oh god what have I done?! _"Thank you!" Jack said gleefully as he reached for Finn's hand which was up in the air for a high five. "So how do we do this? Where do we pick you up?" Jack asked, a big cheeky smile plastered on his face. "Well, I don't know your house so why don't we just meet up at Nando's on Saturday?" The two boys unconsciously nodded even though Casey couldn't really see them agreeing. "Great idea," Finn answered. "Come over by 1PM and stay here overnight if you want to because the show ends up really late."

"Oh, so where do I sleep?"

"Well, we have a dog house here..." Jack said joking. "Of course you're sleeping in a bed!" Casey cracked up in reply which made Jack's lips widen all the more. "How do I know?! I've known you for like one day, I've got no idea how things work out here!" Casey answered laughing. "Well just let me know what I need to bring then." She watched as Ken stood up, rolling his eyes. "Just bring your cheekiest pajama and your makeup because we're doing a slumber party afterwards," Finn answered. "Yeah, we'll do your makeup and you do our hair" Jack added, his hyperactivity getting to him again. They all laughed hysterically like they were already in the same room. "So we'll see you then?" Jack asked, grinning like a weirdo.

"Alright, I'll see you then!"

###


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: Things Escalating Quickly**

It's a Friday evening and Casey was very exhausted. She just went through a grueling examination for one of her classes in her second term in University of Bristol. But she can't bring herself to sleep yet. She had a ton of things on her mind as of the moment. For starters, she had a gig to attend to the next day which requires her to go to London. What's stressing her out isn't the pressure of doing good during her unpaid gig, but the fact that she had to endure an hour- well more accurately a whole night- with two sickeningly good looking people. The worst, and the best, part of it is that they look the same.

What's worse is that she's actually having weird mixed feelings about the boys, even if she only met them once. One of them makes her want to bite something really hard while the other one makes her want to laugh ridiculously out loud. Jack and Casey had been chatting and text messaging since they met in London two weeks ago where they agreed to keep a little secret, something that not even his identical twin knows. At some point, she felt that Jack is beginning to warm up to her which was somehow, still unsettling.

_Jack: You're coming tomorrow right? You're really coming tomorrow?_

_Casey: I will, Jack. Now go away, I need to sleep because I'm driving early tomorrow!_

* * *

The next day, Jack woke up early. His sister Emmy, who was already in the kitchen looked at Jack with a very puzzled look. "Why are you up so early?!" she asked him. Out of the Harries siblings, Jack was considered the laziest one around the house. Even during his gap year, he cannot be trusted to wake up early. "I have so many things to do today," Jack answered while setting up his MacBook on the kitchen counter. He also had with him his iPhone which he checked every once in a while. "Are you having an early morning broadcast again?" Emmy asked, curious as to what his older brother was up to. "Nope, we're doing it tonight," Jack said, pouring himself a glass of milk. "But we have a guest!" Emmy wasn't surprised. During the first gap year, the twins kept inviting other YouTubers around to make videos and these weird people stayed for days in their house like they were an extended family or something. Though their parents didn't complain about it, Emmy thought it was still much of a hassle having strangers in the house. "Who's coming over?" she asked as she sat beside his brother, flipping her long, blonde hair. "A friend of mine" Jack answered with a smile. He took his iPhone and texted again.

_Jack: Good morning sleepy head! Drive safely, this isn't America!_

Casey was already driving when she saw the text message. She smiled and dialed Jack's number instead of texting him back. "Hello? Why are you calling?" he answered, his voice filled with amusement that made Casey laugh. "Did you know that in America it's illegal to text while driving?"

"Really now?!"

"Well in most states it is. So stop texting me because I can't answer you."

"Alright, are you on the road now?"

"Yep and it's practically traffic-free! I might be able to come over early after all!"

"Really, so how do we go about this. If you get here earlier do I still pick you up at Nando's?"

"What about I pick you up at Nando's, cheeky Jack?" Casey said mocking Jack's British accent which made him laugh. Emmy watched him curiously as he talked to the phone. "I like that, let's do that!" The two bid their goodbyes just as soon as Finn walked into the kitchen. "Looks like our guest is coming in early!" Jack announced. "Casey?" Finn asked as he rummaged through the refrigerator. "Is she on her way now?" Emmy silently sneaked out of the kitchen while the two talked about their jobs. While her brothers bask in the limelight brought about by YouTube, Emmy Lou would rather stay out and be a regular kid.

"She'll meet us at Nando's later. Where do you reckon we could take her for lunch?" Jack asked as he opened up his laptop's browser to check on his social media accounts. Finn thought for a while as he poured his cereals in a bowl. "Well, how about we introduce her to some of the Crew and have lunch at Ping's?" Jack looked up at Finn who seem to be enjoying cereals on a daily basis lately. "Do you reckon she'd be fine with that? I don't think she knows other YouTubers other than us." Finn took another spoonful of cereals in his mouth, chewed a bit and said, "I think she'll be fine!"

* * *

Casey rounded the corner to the street where Nando's was. It's half past 11 and she was getting hungry. She spotted a guy leaning on a wall on the side of the street just a few steps from Nando's his iPhone on his right hand and a penny board on the other. She halted beside him and rolled down the windows. "Finn?" she asked, still quite unsure who he was because this twin was wearing eyeglasses. Jack also had to take a second look before realizing it was Casey, in glasses, a tight fitting pink top and a ponytail. He leaned down the car window, "Yes, I'm Finn!" he smiled his cheeky smile, opened the door on the passenger's side and climbed in beside Casey. She gazed at the man who now sat beside her and noticed he's wearing bracelets on his right wrist. She tried to remember, based on their Twin Mail videos, whether it was Jack or Finn that wore more bracelets. "You're not Finn!" She said watching as the man snickered at her. "I am Finn! Now could you please move on, we can't park here!" Jack looked at her and he pointed to the road ahead. Casey laughed and changed gears then steered the wheel, "I know who you are, you're Jack!"

"How do you know?" Jack asked, interested as to how Casey would know the difference between him and his twin when she haven't really had the chance to talk to Finn as much as she did with him. "First of all, you're wearing bracelets on your right wrist and as far as I remember Finn wears very few bracelets on his left wrist. Second, Finn's hair is always on the... Left side? I think... And lastly, I think I did say I'll pick up cheeky Jack and not cheeky Finn." she said, looking at Jack who was smiling so broadly.

"Jesus Christ, you say all that like you're a fangirl!"

"I'm not a fangirl Jack, I'm just an observant bitch" she answered, her eyes on the road. "I just thought you were Finn because you're wearing those damned glasses." Jack laughed. In the family where he grew up, females weren't favored when they cuss or talk loudly or swear. But Jack had different perspectives when it comes to people in general and for him Casey was one of those people who he revered for being so naturally different. "Where the heck are we going, Jack?" she asked as they halted on a stoplight. Jack looked around them, they were a few blocks away from Ping where Finn and the rest were waiting for them. "Why don't you let me drive," Jack said still looking at her. Casey looked at him quizzically. "Okay," she answered with uncertainty. She pulled over on the side of the road and they both got out of the car. Jack waited for Casey to cross over to his side and left the door open for her and as she climbed into the car, Jack couldn't help but give her a once over. _Nice ass..._ He shook his head to drive the cheeky thoughts away and closed the door for her before moving to the other side to drive.

* * *

Finn was at Ping together with Caspar, Marcus and Zoe and were busy playing ping pong. It's been a while since he and Jack got to hang out with their friends because they had been very busy with their other projects. "There's Jack," Finn said pointing to his twin who just got in. "Who's that with him?" Caspar asked, his eyes directed at Casey who was standing beside Jack. "She looks... American." Finn looked at his friend who seemed very interested in Casey. "She IS American," he answered while waving at Jack. "She a friend of Jack's, she's studying at Bristol." As they were nearing, Caspar ogled the woman beside Jack and whispered to Finn. "Look at those boobs..." Finn hissed a quiet and giggly "shut up" to him as Jack and Casey went up to them. "Where are my dumplings?" Jack said as he took a chair and sat down. "Hi Finn!" the girl greeted sweetly. Finn managed a small hello and moved to let her sit beside him and Caspar, knowing full well that Caspar would be happy to get to know their new friend. Casey, whose heart was almost disintegrating in her chest, sat beside Finn, looked at him with adoration and smiled. "Did you know Jack told me he was you a while ago but I didn't believe him?"

"Really? How did you know?" Finn asked with his eyes on Caspar who was almost squirming shyly in his seat. "I'm observant..." she answered shyly, blushing just a bit. Finn smiled at her and she felt her insides churning. "Oh, do you know Caspar Lee? He's a YouTuber too!" Finn pointed at the blonde South African who was silently sipping on his iced tea. "Caspar, this is Casey!" he said. Caspar managed a small hi and went on to eat a dumpling. "Hello!" Casey said turning to the shy boy beside her. "I don't think I've seen your videos yet but I promise to watch from now on," she said with a smile. Caspar blushed a little and smiled back. "Thank you! Finn says you're an American?"

"Yeah," she answered. "But I live in Bristol now. I'm studying at Bristol, but I'm originally from LA."

"I didn't know that," Jack said as he ate a dumpling. "Well now you do" Casey answered, still smiling and blushing as she felt Finn's legs right beside hers. Jack also introduced her to Marcus who was beet red and flushing after a hearty ping pong game with Zoe who hugged her tight. _Jeez, she smells like raspberries._ They were all very chatty to her, which she loved despite the fact that she felt a little shy around them. Zoe even whipped out her camera introduced her briefly in her vlog. By 2:30PM she and twins were back in the car and on the road to the Harries' residence with Jack driving and Finn at the back. "So what do we do until 10PM?" Casey asked when they got out of the car.

"Well, I thought we could make a new video..." Jack said as he lead her into the house.

"Wait, we?"

###


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: Becoming YouTube**

Casey sat on Jack's bed as the two moved around the room, setting up stuff so that they can fit three people in the frame. "So, what exactly are we going to do?" She watched as Jack positioned the massive light stand near the sofa. He was proud of these lights. He was proud of every bit of equipment he had because he bought them himself. It was something that not all 19 year olds are able to do. "Well, basically we're making a video and you're going to sing." Jack answered as he opened up the lights and brightness flooded the room. "Jack, keep it low." Finn said who was in front of the computer, posting stuff on Tumblr and Twitter. "Why don't you sing? Why don't we all sing?" Casey asked.

"Oh haven't you heard Jack's singing voice? He is the worst singer ever" Finn explained, laughing like a kid. "Really?" Casey asked laughing along. "Hey," Jack said holding up a hand. "I'm actually really good at it if I decide to take it seriously!" Casey looked at him, her eyes posing an unheard challenge. "Well why don't you sing seriously for once? Also, what am I supposed to sing?" Jack raised one of his eyebrows at her and Finn watched as the two stared at each other. "Okay, I'm going to sing but you have to think of a really good song" Jack answered. Finn looked at her, waiting for her answer. She looked at him and he smiled which quickly melted her heart. _Oh god, that little effing smile._ "Can I borrow your guitar?"

* * *

[TAKE ONE]

"Hello there! My name is Jack," Jack said pointing to his brother. "and my name is Finn!" Finn said beaming at the camera in front of them. "So last week we showed you a video of our visit to South Africa for Comic Relief and thanks to your overflowing support, we actually got featured on the news!" he said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yep, and we really appreciate all your nice comments about it which is why this week, we thought that we should give you a little treat and sing for you!" Jack said, his hand gesturing towards the camera. "And to do that we have a very special guest!" Finn said, smiling as he pulled the swivel chair Casey was in. She waved at the camera, holding Jack's guitar and giggling like a little girl.

[JUMPCUT]

"Alright, so you probably don't know her because she not actually a YouTuber. This is our friend Casey, she's a student at University of Bristol where I also went last year." Jack explained. Casey waved at the camera, a pretty smile painted on her face. "Right, so I heard you guys like One Direction?" Casey asked the two. "Oh we don't like One Direction, we love them," Finn answered. "We're married to them." Jack firmly said and then mouthed "I love you Zayn!" to the camera which elicited more laughter from Casey. "Well I thought we should sing a One Direction song!" Casey took out her iPad where she typed out the lyrics of the song. Each paragraph had their names on it to signify who was to sing which part. While they all wanted to create a nice, serious video for once, they just keep cracking up whenever any one of the twins sang a part.

[JUMPCUT]

***Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me, but bear this mind it was meant to be, and I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks, and it all makes sense to me...***

Casey watched as Finn sang timidly with a smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile at this handsome shy boy who was very hesitant to sing at first but conceded for the love of their fans. Jack, meanwhile, watched amusingly as Casey mooned silently over his brother. Just then Casey suddenly turned to him and caught him staring at her. She plucked a few more chords to give Jack a little more time to prepare and Finn gave him the iPad. He started singing with such a deep voice that took Casey by surprise.

***I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes, when you smile, you never loved your stomach or your thighs, the dimples on your back at the bottom of your spine, but I love them endlessly...***

Casey looked at Jack and continued to pluck on the strings. She looked back down to her hands again and listened intently. She was surprised by the fact that despite his fooling around, he actually had a very nice voice. Jack shared the iPad with his brother and they started singing together.

***I won't let this little things slip out of my mouth, but if it's true, it's you, it's you they add up to, and I'm in love with you, and all these little things...***

Casey smiled as the twins sang. _God, women will be squirming in their seats with this!_ She tried to calm down and stop herself from giggling out loud as she plucked on the strings of the guitar and readied for her part. Jack held the iPad a few inches from her as she played. She opened her mouth and sang.

***You can't go to bed without a cup of tea and maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep, and all those conversations are the secrets that I keep, though it makes no sense to me.***

Jack watched intently as Casey expertly ran her hands on the strings of his long unused guitar. He felt her passion for playing and singing as she went through with the instrumental between the chorus and the verse. But when she sang he felt like his heart stop for a second. He looked at Finn who, just like him, had an amused, surprised reaction to what they heard. They looked at each other, telepathically processing messages._ Jesus Christ she's really good!_

***I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape, you never want to know how much you weigh, you still have to squeeze into your jeans but you're perfect to me.

And I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth, but if it's true it's you, it's you they add up to, and I'm in love with you... And all these little things...

Casey looked at the two who were watching and smiling at her, a conspiratorial look on their faces. "What?" she asked as she suddenly stopped playing. The twins looked at each other and Jack said, "Wow." Silence. The twins suddenly burst out laughing because Casey had an awkward, confused look on her face the whole time as if the two were speaking some alien language though they only said one word. "We were supposed to sing the last chorus together!" she complained. "Uh, forget about that," Jack said, laughing as he turned to the camera.

[JUMPCUT]

"So that's us singing horribly and Casey saving us from humiliation!" Jack added and they all laughed. Finn, who was still smiling broadly, raised up his hand and said, "I have an idea! Why don't you make your own YouTube channel?!"

###


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: A Start of Something**

"Okay, how about this," Jack said turning to the camera after facing Casey and Finn. "Let's make them decide if you should make a YouTube channel or not!"

"How?!" Casey said, an incredulous look passed on her face. It's almost as if Jack just told her that cows can fly. "Well, if you guys liked what Casey did there and if you want her to do a YouTube channel then give this video a thumbs up!" Finn said to the camera. "Yeah, and if this video gets a thousand likes or more, Casey will do her own YouTube channel!" Jack said smiling as he looked to his brother who, not surprisingly, seem to be having the same thoughts. "Right Casey?" The two turned to her, their knowing smiles goading her on. Casey just smiled. "Uhh... Yeah!" she answered half smiling though her head was running wild with uncertainty. _This is not a good idea._

* * *

Casey stared at her laptop's monitor long after the video was done. She looked down at the video's status. There were 1,200 people who liked the video and 67 people who unliked it since it was posted. The comments are going ballistic with people asking who she was, where she came from and why she's with the twins. Many of them are leading her on, asking her to make her own videos. Some of them had been telling her to leave the twins alone. It's been almost two weeks since the video and the live broadcast happened. But to her it was like a surreal dream that keeps on revisiting her every night in her sleep.

* * *

Jack and Finn had a very different live broadcast that night. It wasn't a Q&A or live talking thing, it was actually more like a talk show. Casey, he found out, was a very organized host. They had a program and had answered many questions and veered away from distractions. They even gained more fans on YouNow that night than ever before. Many of their followers tweeted for Casey to come back to the show and there was generally a more positive feedback. Even their YouTuber friends, who never knew Casey, thought it was cool to have her as an adjudicator on the broadcast.

Basically, Casey split the broadcast to six parts with 10 minutes for each segment: Three parts of the show were dedicated to answering questions from fans through Twitter and were distributed equally throughout the show; One part was for introductions, explanations and announcements; One part was for a mini game where the twin guessed what age in their lives a certain memorable experience happened according to their sister and their Mum; And one part was for shoutouts, greetings and requests from fans all over the world. It had been a fun night for Jack. It was a massive weight lifted off his and Finn's shoulders that someone else hosted the show for them and all they had to do was answer and follow.

Casey was fun to be with. She was carefree but very focused, goofy but still in control, chatty without being too loud. She was very smart and sassy all at the same time. She expertly held in Jack's tendency to talk too much and stray from one topic to another and even got Finn to talk more and goof around. He later found out that Casey had interned in a local radio station as a DJ and had been hosting family reunions, parties and school events while she was in middle school going to college. She had begun singing since the age of 7 and started playing guitar in high school. As he was rendering the final video, Jack realized that he had gained a lot of respect for this girl. Despite the fact that their first meeting was a very awkward one, he now had a very different perspective of Casey.

Meanwhile, Casey was in the Harries' guestroom looking outside. Summer was starting and the air was very humid. The household help showed her to the luxurious room which had stark white walls and was filled with peach colored furniture. It was a lovely room which they called the YouTuber suite because that was where most of Jack and Finn's YouTuber friends stayed when they were in the twin's house. She rummaged for her pajamas in her bag and her toiletry stash. She went to the posh bathroom, her jaw dropping instantly as she opened the door. It was big bath and toilet that glistened with whiteness. _God, their guesthouse is like a freakin' hotel room! These boys clearly had everything!_ She took off her clothes and took a cold shower which had taken her sleepiness away. She washed her hair, towel-dried it and donned her pink pajamas with its matching pink tank top.

With her wet hair and bare feet, she tiptoed out the hall and downstairs, all the while marveling at the grandeur of the Harries' residence. She went to the kitchen where she took a glass of water and went outside, into the backyard, to get some fresh air. "You all right?" said a voice behind her. She turned around and found Finn, in pajamas and a white shirt, standing behind her and holding a bottle of beer. "I'm alright," she answered though deep inside she was flushing like a crazy woman on fire. "Just taking in the scenery of the Harries empire" she added scoffing. Finn laughed, stood beside her and offered her a bottle of beer which she gladly took. "Man, you guys are well off, aren't you?"

"Are we?" Finn asked with a smirk. He never really considered himself rich because their parents didn't really spoil them growing up. In fact, when he and Jack wanted something, they had to work and earn their own money to buy it because they also refused to ask their parents for it. "How do you say so?" he asked Casey. "Dude, your bathroom looks like it's been designed for a hotel not a house." Finn laughed at the way she talked. Her American ways, he found, were very contagious. Before long he found himself talking comfortable with her in almost the same way. Casey looked around and whispered, "Hey, can I smoke here?" Finn raised both his eyebrows in surprise and asked "What?" Casey produced a packet of cigarettes from her pajama's pocket and looked at Finn expectantly. "Sure," Finn said, watching as Casey brought the stick to her mouth. "Oh not here, my Mum will notice. You need to come up to my room..." Casey droned breathlessly after Finn who was leading her upstairs with a few more bottles of beer. _Oh shit, this is going to be a long night._

###


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11: Bonding Over Vices**

"So when did you start smoking?" Finn asked as they sat on the floor of the spacious bathroom which he shared with Jack. He took a drag out of the cigarette Casey offered and looked at her as she puffed out smoke. "Middle school..." Casey answered flatly while reminiscing her high school years back in LA. "Don't get me wrong, I don't smoke out of habit. I do this occasionally, or when I'm with friends who smoke." She looked back to her young 16 year old self and realized she made many friends just by lighting a cigarette. "Really," Finn said smirking as he looked at her. "Well how did you know I smoked?" Casey scoffed and looked at Finn. "Hah, I caught you!" she said, a playful smile etched on her face. "I was actually just testing you when I asked if I could smoke. It turns out I was right!" Finn laughed and tossed his head back which mesmerized Casey who had been staring at him as she talked. "That's a good one." Finn said as he took another swig of beer. "Jack and I started smoking in high school too." Finn explained as they opened another bottle of beer. "Did you know we got banned from our own prom?"

"What? Why?"

"Well, technically Jack got banned from our prom and I didn't want him to be alone here so I didn't go to the prom as well."

"Why was he banned from your prom?"

"He did something really bad before we graduated," he said as he held the cigarette tenderly between his fingers. He remembered the day their parents were called to get Jack from the headmaster's office and he couldn't help but laugh. "He did a muck up day prank where he and some of our friends filled the hallways with stink bombs and rape alarms."

"What?!"

"Yeah, and then they had to evacuate the students and stop the examinations." he said, shaking his head. "Oh my god!" Casey said, laughing out loud as she tried to imagine a young Jack Harries detonating stink bombs in a school hallway. "Same words my Mum said when the headmaster called her," Finn said laughing.

"Bet your Mum doesn't know you smoke?"

"She does, but she made us promise not to."

"I see you're so good at keeping your promises!" Casey said and they both laughed. The bathroom door behind them creaked open silently and they both turn their heads to see Jack popping his head inside. "What are you two doing?" Jack said before bursting into the bathroom. "Casey and I are being naughty," Finn said smiling his very cheeky smile. It melted Casey's heart like an ice cream. Jack looked down at Casey who was clearly blushing and closed the door that was connected to his room. He sat down next to Casey who was taking another swig of beer.

Finn threw the packet of cigarettes to Jack who expertly caught it with two hands and then drew one stick from the pack. "Where'd you get this, I thought you were out?" he asked his twin brother. "Oh, that's not mine" Finn answered. Casey took the pink lighter inside her pocket and handed it to Jack who took it to light the stick resting in between his lips. He leaned back on the edge of the bath, puffed out smoke and handed the lighter back to Casey. "Thanks, I didn't know you smoked..." Casey smirked and looked at him incredulously. "We met four weeks ago, Jack, what are you supposed to know about me?" Jack laughed out loud, "I saw something, though..." Casey punched Jack playfully in the arm and said, "Shut up!"

"What did you saw?" Finn asked smiling but utterly curious. "No! Don't tell him!" Casey pleaded as she stubbed her very small cigarette on the ashtray on the floor. "Oh come on, man" Finn said nudging Casey and raising en eyebrow at her."Come on, I won't tell anyone. Jack what was it?" Jack looked at both Casey, who was blushing so badly, and Finn who was looking at him expectantly. "He's got to know, he's my brother." She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing because she knew that she should feel mad or humiliated but she found herself laughing incredulously. _Must be the alcohol... _She dropped her head down ans sighed. "Fine..." she said, hoping her resignation wasn't a bad decision. "Yeah!" Finn said as Casey conceded. Jack reached out a closed fist to his twin who met it with his own fist. "Safe."

"Oh my god this is too embarrassing!" Casey said and she covered her face with her hand. "Oh come on," Finn said. He pulled Casey close and placed his arm on her shoulder sending shivers down her spine. For a second, she smiled and then giggled as Finn whispered to her ear, "I won't tell anyone." Casey bit her lower lip and just stared at the bottle of beer she was holding. "Right," Jack turned to Finn, giggling. "So remember when we went back to Bristol and I was gone for a while because I went to my old room in the University Hall?" Finn nodded in agreement, remembering the day they drove back to Jack's old school to do some filming. "Right, I went into my old room and the door was unlocked and no one was in. I was looking inside and there were so many things in it so I knew someone was living there. I was about to go out but then I needed to pee so I went into the bathroom for a while and then all of a sudden, someone comes in..." Jack gave Finn a knowing look and nodded to Casey whose cheeks were already as red as tomatoes.

"It was me," Casey admitted.

"It was you? So you own Jack's room now?"

"No, my best friend Ken does. I went there to change clothes because I had a gig that night and my dress was with Ken." Casey explained, turning to Finn. "Yeah, so she was in the room, right?" Jack continued "And she was like shouting 'Ken are you there?' because she thought I was Ken and that he was just in the bathroom. And so she started talking and I didn't know what to do..."

"So what happened?" Finn prodded on, smiling so broadly that Casey thought it might have hurt. "So I was panicking inside the bathroom because I heard she's coming closer. Then she knocks and I opened the door because there's no other way out... and then I saw her." Jack paused, his smile was so big and his eyes danced with excitement as he recounted that day. "Mate, she was wearing nothing but black underwear!" Finn's mouth dropped, his grin changed to big laughs of amusement while she breathed a small "Oh god..." She felt like dying. "What?!" Finn said in shock. "You saw her in her underwear?!" He looked at Casey who needed to take a swig of her beer to suppress her embarrassment. "Yeah, mate! And she thought I was gay! And when she realized I wasn't she pushed me aside and covered herself with a towel!"

"Jesus Christ, what else did you see?!" Finn said, his eyes wide with curiosity and excitement. Jack laughed out loud when he saw their reactions. "Nooo! Stop!" Casey said disapprovingly though she couldn't help but laugh along. Jack described every bit and detail of their very picturesque 'first meeting'. Finn's very shocked reaction made her laugh so hard that she was almost crying. "Oh and I've got to tell you, she's got a nice bum!" Jack said adding a very funny "Oh, deary..." afterwards with his lips askew. "I bet you she had nice boobs too," Finn said laughing. Casey squealed and punched him in the arm. She wiped a tear from her eye from laughing so hard. "Oh my god this is so embarrassing!" Casey said, her cheeks burning bright red. Jack moved closer to Casey and hugged her. "I'm sorry, I said I'd keep it between us but it's just so funny now!" He said as they both laughed. Finn laughed along and hugged her too. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Besides you don't have to be so embarrassed about your body, Jack said it was beautiful!" Casey's jaw dropped. "Oh my god, can you guys stop?" She said, laughing as Jack and Finn squeezed her side by side. It was at that moment that Jack, who had so many doubts about her before, knew that Casey was a friend he could keep.

It was past 3AM when the three agreed to go back to their own rooms. Casey resolved to stay for a bit longer due to Finn's request and forgo her Monday classes. She called her dad and told him she'll be back on Monday evening. Though she knew her dad was disappointed, she felt unnaturally giddy and happy the whole day.

* * *

***Oh I just wanna take you anywhere that you like...***

Casey was woken by a FaceTime call on her iPhone. Apparently, she fell asleep on her study table, her laptop and her iPhone lying in front of her. She checked for the time, it was past 11PM. She rubbed her eyes behind her glasses and took her iPhone. _What the fuck?!_ It was Jack.

###


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12: A Call to Action**

"Hello Casey!" Jack greeted. He was wearing a blue shirt and was looking glorious inside a hotel in broad daylight. "Jack, what the hell are you doing calling me up in the middle of the night?" Casey asked while checking her face on the screen. Finn was beside him, talking to a laptop. "I was actually sleeping. Well, more accurately I feel asleep while doing my homework..." she explained as she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes again. "Oh, sorry! What time is it there?" Jack asked. "It's quarter to 12," she answered as she wore her eyeglasses again to see Jack more clearly.

"Well then you have to thank me because otherwise you wouldn't finish your coursework on time!" Jack said in a matter-of-factly tone. Casey laughed out loud and watched as her view changed from Jack's front camera to the rear camera. "What is that, are you broadcasting?" she asked. All she can actually see are the twins on a monitor and a chat box that moved endlessly up. "Yep," Jack said as he fixed the camera view back to the front camera again. He then turned his iPhone to face the laptop screen so he and Finn, and the rest of YouNow, can see Casey. "Guys, it's Casey! She's in Bristol right now!" Casey took a glimpse of the audience counter. _Jeez, 30,000 people!_ "Hello guys!" Casey said waving to the camera despite the fact that she felt weird talking to a laptop screen."These two gentlemen woke me up in the middle of the night! What do you want anyway, Jack?"

"Well, remember the last time you came to our house and made a video with us?"

"Yeah,"

"Remember when you said that if the video gets at least a thousand likes you'll make your own channel?"

"Oh, is this what it's about?"

"Yeah," Finn answered looking back at her. "Have you seen the video again?" Casey placed her hands on the keyboard and started typing on her browser. "Well, the last time I checked it was 1,500 but come on, I don't think that's..." she went to the JacksGap channel and opened the video where she sang with the twins. "Are you checking it out right now?" Jack asked. "Yes I am but I..." she suddenly went silent and looked closer to her laptop monitor. "Holy shit, it's got 3,000 likes!" she squealed . She heard laughter on the background. She can't believe her eyes. "How did this happen? I watched this video, like, literally hours ago!"

"We asked them to like it!" Finn answered. "So, when are you going to start on your channel, Casey?" Jack added, smiling ever so broadly. He couldn't control his giggles knowing that Casey was probably squirming on his seat at the moment. _You can't do anything about that now! _"Oh god, I don't know! I don't even think I can handle it because I'm studying and I'm not really good at editing..." She tried to reason out but she knew it was futile. Jack flipped his iPhone and gave her a grumpy look. She knew that, somehow, he would be upset if she didn't stay true to her word. She gave out a desperate sigh "Oh come on, man!" Finn said still bearing that naughty smile. She couldn't help but smile and giggle a little. "You can do it! You have to do it now!"

"Yeah, you can't really say no now!" Jack prodded on, his eyebrows raised and his voice posed a challenge that made her smile. "I know! I mean 3,000 likes just now, Jesus Christ what did you do?!" Casey moaned and leaned back to her chair. She had so much thoughts on her head and so much feelings on her chest. She was happy and excited and scared all at the same time. "Well..." the twins paused to listen. "All I can say is that... I'm starting the channel next week, after my final exams. I still don't know what to do but I'll figure something out..." The twins fist bumped and smiled broadly, proud that they made Casey realize her YouTube potential in front of 30,000 people. "I can't believe you guys did that but thank you very much..." She gave them the sweetest smile she could muster. Deep inside, she was completely scared to jump into the YouTube business.

"Great, well, I think we should let Casey sleep now, because if you haven't noticed we're on FaceTime and she's back in Bristol so she's supposed to be sleeping now..." Finn said to their unseen fans. "Yes, I am. You guys are very cheeky!" she added, giggling happily despite her doubts. She said a short thank you and goodbye to the people watching the broadcast before seeing Jack's face again as flipped his phone back towards him. "Sorry to wake you up dear, but you really have to get that channel running." Jack said smiling at her. Casey smiled too. "I know, don't worry I'm on it. When are you guys coming back?" she asked, suddenly missing the two. "About a week from now," Jack answered. "We'll see you then! Let's go to Nando's and I'll introduce you to some people."

"Oh, okay. Just text me when you get back." Casey said as she closed her laptop. She stood up from her study table and went to her bed. "You gotta get going Jack, people are waiting for you." Though he knew there are more than 30,000 people waiting for him to come back, he couldn't seem to bring himself to put the video call to an end. "Alright," Jack said, sighing after staring at Casey's messy state. "I'll see you in a week!" They said their goodbyes and Jack sat beside his twin again. But back in Bristol, Casey was restless. She couldn't bring herself to sleep because her head was running with so many ideas as to how she could manage her still non-existent YouTube account. She stood up, took her course notes to distract herself from her YouTube thoughts and opened her lamp light. A few minutes after reviewing, Casey finally fell asleep.

* * *

She woke up the next day with a start, her alarm clock buzzing with a high pitched ring. She stood up, took a shower and dressed with her usual jeans, artsy shirt and hoodie. It was, as Ken described it, a very American way of representing herself in class. Casey realized that she was quite early for class so she took her time sauntering around the university walk. Then there was a tap on her back. "Hi! You're Casey aren't you?" Two girls were standing behind her. One of them, a blonde petite girl, was holding a camera while her friend, a curly brunette, was holding out a hand to her. "I'm Jenny and this is May!"

"Hi! How do you guys know me? Are you in my class?"

"No, we're actually not from your course."

"Oh," Casey answered. She pushed her glasses up her nose bridge and touched her sloppily tied up hair. "Well, is there anything I can do for you, then?" She felt weird that these British girls, who were definitely dressed better than her, decided to talk to a weird girl like her. "We're actually fans of Jack and Finn Harries!" the blonde girl answered giddily. "We saw you last night on YouNow!" Casey went blank. _Okay, this isn't what I expected my morning to be. _She looked closely at these girls and realized how out of place she was in her hoodie and sneakers. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat but..." The two girls looked at each other in slight panic. "Oh yeah, but can you hear us out for a minute?" May said, stepping closer to her.

"May is actually having her 18th birthday this weekend and we're hoping you could get Jack and Finn to come..." Jenny asked, testing the waters. Casey raised both eyebrows in surprise and said a quiet "Oh." _These girls are batshit crazy! _She shifted on her feet and pushed her glasses up her nose bridge again. "Uhm, I'm afraid I can't do that. They're very busy and besides they are still in the US as of the moment so..." she said, pausing to give them room to think. She also explained that she had no idea when they were coming back. "Well, can you at least host my party then?" May answered, a trail of hope flickering in her eyes."You did say you host parties as a part-time job...right?" Casey's eyes widened. "Yeah..." she answered, flushing. "Well, what kind of party is it, exactly?"

"It's like a slumber birthday party. Everyone will be in sleepwear and there will be marshmallows and chocolate fountains and all that. We haven't come up with a program yet but there'll be more or less 200 guests" May said, a smile painted on her young face. Casey's jaw dropped. It's as if she was stating common facts like 'the sky is blue' and 'roses are red'. "Oh," Casey said loudly. "I see... well maybe you should call me sometime soon so we can talk about it? Right now I need to get to my class because I have an important test today." May gave her mobile phone to Casey and asked her to type her number in it. The two also requested to take a picture with her where she awkwardly posed with each of them before scurrying to class. On her way to the room she took out her phone and made a call.

"Hello Ken? Could you make me a nice sleepwear?"

###


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13: Making it Happen**

Casey checked her make up in the mirror and retouched it a little. She's halfway through the program but the she felt like it's taking forever to finish. It was a grand party teeming with guests dressed in fancy sleepwear and robes, their ears and fingers bejeweled with stones that seemed inappropriate for sleeping. May, the birthday celebrant, wore a beautiful sleeping gown made of silk which, she learned, have been specially designed for the occasion. Casey, on the other hand, was a masterpiece on her own way. Ken made her buy a chemise sleepwear set that seemed too racy to even wear in public and then made her a special kimono satin robe to go with it. Her painted lips and lined eyes, Ken said, made her look like a geisha.

Casey closed her bag and went out of the bathroom. She looked around, everyone was still busy eating their late dinner. Most of the teenage guests are hanging out by the massive chocolate fountain set on the side of the ballroom which was decorated to look like a big bedroom. "Casey!" It was an unfamiliar voice. She spun around and tried to see who it was. Three girls came to her, their faces made up and their bodies scantily clad in sexy sleepwear. "Yes?" she asked. The girl in the middle gave her a sweet smile. "You're friends with Jack Harries, aren't you?" the girl in the middle asked. Casey felt uncomfortable as she nodded her head. "See, we were wondering if you could give us his mobile number? We needed to contact them for a... project proposal."

"Oh, I.." Casey looked at the three girls intently. Their face clearly said they mean business, and it was a very familiar look to a girl who grew up in the land of Hollywood. Her heart skipped and she felt her panic and anxiety resurfacing like it did months before she moved to Bristol. _I can't do this now. _She took a deep breath, crossed her arms and looked at the girl straight in the eye with a straightened back and her chin held up high. "Do you have a problem with that?" the girl said, advancing towards her and raising one eyebrow. Casey just smiled. "Sorry but I can't do that. I am not in the position to give away his number to... Fans." she said emphasizing her last words. One of the girls flinched. "If it's a business proposal, you might as well contact their agent, I believe they have an inquiry email that you can reach. Excuse me." Casey left the three girls and went to find May.

She would have told Jack that she's been having trouble with their fans since she first appeared on the twins' video. There were hate mails in her email and mailbox that openly branded her a slut and an attention whore. She's being chased by fangirls at school, asking for their number, address and Skype details. One time, in one of her Literature classes, she lost her phone for more than an hour after leaving it inside her bag's pocket. It mysteriously showed up again on top of her books after she went out to notify her instructor. At home, in her study, is a box filled with letters for the twins which was sent to her in hopes that she could give it to them. She never told Jack or Finn about all of these because she didn't want them to worry.

The party ended with a movie showing that was exclusive to May's close friends. May asked her to stay but she politely declined and left. As she was going out the door, May and Jenny, who were actually very nice to her and whom she liked despite their fangirling tendencies, handed her an envelope and hugged her. "Thank you very much Casey, you were amazing!" May said. "Would it be okay to give away your number? One of my mom's friends may want to get you as a host for another party." Casey's rimmed eyes went wide as if she just found a pot of gold in her own backyard. "Oh sure!" she said, beaming widely. "Thanks, you guys, I had a blast. Happy Birthday!" She kissed the two girls on the cheek and drove home. As she was driving she took out the envelope and checked the contents. "Holy fuck?!" She recounted the money. "Oh my God! I made £200 in one night!

* * *

Ken's face soured when he saw Casey come out of the house the next day. "Case, what the hell are you wearing?" he said pointing to her weird looking Keds sneakers that looked like it was about to give up on her. "Ken, we're buying a camera, not walking to the runway or something." She opened the door to his car and sat on the passenger's seat. "I don't understand! Last night, you look like a beautiful Asian princess and now all of a sudden, you look like battered wife." Casey rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ken, I like this! It's comfortable and I'm PMS-ing!" Casey said loudly. Ken rolled his eyes, said a small "Fine" and started his car. After getting a big sum if money from her last gig, Casey finally decided to get a camera and start making videos herself. That day, she picked up a Canon G1X in pink. She also bought some lamps for lighting and a tripod. She redecorated her bedroom, cleaned it up, repainted half of one of her bedroom's wall in white and set up a small studio with a recliner, a small side table, some books and three lamps.

* * *

[TAKE 1]

"Hey everyone! I'm Casey and I'm a friend of... This is stupid, I'm not supposed to say that... I can't say that!"

[TAKE 2]

"Hi everyone I'm Casey! I'm 20 years old and I'm from LA, but now I'm living in Bristol! Okay that's probably too much information."

[TAKE 3]

"Hi I'm Casey and this is my first YouTube video. I'm good at singing, dancing and playing the guitar and... Yeah, this sounds like I'm auditioning."

[TAKE 4]

"Hello there! I'm Casey, this is my YouTube channel and today I'm going to play a song for you! Which is... Not happening..."

* * *

She's exhausted. It was 9PM and she haven't even eaten dinner yet. She decided to go downstairs and make a sandwich. "Hey baby, how's the video going?" James asked as he watched his daughter huffing and puffing down the stairs. "Not good, Dad... I'm stuck in the intro and I don't know how I'm going to finish this." Casey said, sighing heavily as she slathered her bread with tuna spread. "What's the problem?" he asked again as he stood beside her, leaning on the kitchen counter. "I don't know how to start... How do I talk to invisible people?" _What the hell was I thinking? I shouldn't have said yes to them. _"Well... What if you pretend that you're talking to a brand new friend instead of a brand new camera?" Casey looked at her dad who was smiling at her. She thought about the number of unsuccessful takes she did in the past two hours and realized what she had actually been doing wrong. And then the idea hit her...

* * *

Finn had been busy eating cereals and watching YouTube videos when he felt Jack woke up. "Hey, Jackamo!" He nudged his twin brother who was lying on the hotel bed he was sitting at. The two arrived in Florida at half past eight last night and they were very tired. Needless to say, they had a very long day from travelling to New York to arriving at Playlist Live. But Finn was always the one up early. Jack seems to have married the bed. "Wake up mate, you gotta see this." Jack won't budge. Finn carried the laptop, placed it in front of Jack's face and played the video. The other twin groaned in annoyance and covered his face but a familiar voice pulled him out of his reverie.

* * *

[TAKE 5]

"Hi there! I'm Casey, this is my first YouTube video. I'm not very good at introductions or talking to people in the Internet or something like that so I figured I'll just sing what I'm honestly feeling right now" Casey took her guitar and poised it on her lap. "But before I sing, I'd like to thank every one of those who liked the collaboration video I did with Jack and Finn Harries from the YouTube channel, Jacksgap. If you don't know them or you haven't seen it, I'm going to put the video's link below so you can watch it. I'm actually doing this because I promised that if the video reaches a thousand likes I'll do my own YouTube channel. So this song is for dedicated to them... And to you too!" Casey smiled at the camera and started strumming.

***You by the light is the greatest find. In a world full of wrong you're the thing that's right. Finally made it through the lonely to the other side...***

Jack was now sitting up on the bed and Finn was right beside him. They watched as Casey sang flawlessly, all the while strumming at her guitar. She can't seem to look directly to the camera, her cheeks burning slightly as she sang every word and it made Jack smile. _Goodness, this girl is enchanting._

***You set it again by heart's in motion, every word feels like a shooting star I'm at the edge of my emotion watching the shadows burning in the dark. And I'm in love, I'm terrified for the first time and the last time in my only life...***

Casey concentrated more on fiddling with her guitar than looking at the camera. But through it all, she was smiling. She felt excited and elated all at the same time and gradually, all of the anxiety hidden deep in the recesses of her brain left her. By the end of the song, she was singing directly to the camera, her eyes bright with momentary happiness. Jack felt those happy eyes burning through his consciousness, waking him up all the more. Her voice ringing in his ears and giving him little goose pimples. "She's really good, mate" his brother said but he was silently thinking. "Do you reckon we should resurrect Music Monday and ask her to come sing for us again? She and Eliza?" he asked Finn, his eyes glued to the screen. "That's nice," Finn said as he stood up to open his luggage. "But then we're going to have to stick to a posting schedule because then they will expect Music Mondays to be a regular thing." Jack thought about it but was distracted when Casey finished singing.

She smiled broadly as she strummed the last note. "So there..." she awkwardly placed her guitar down to the side of her chair. "That's Terrified by Catherine McPhee. I know the song is mostly all about falling in love and all that but I chose to sing it because it's the closest thing that describes what I'm feeling right now about all of this..." Casey made a rectangle with her pointing fingers to refer to the YouTube box she was in at the moment. "Because I'm very terrified, and scared about starting this YouTube channel. I feel very vulnerable, doing this... Sharing my life with you guys in the Internet..." Casey paused and dropped her head down. She felt it coming back to her, the anxiety, the pain and the fear. She shook her head and gazed back to the camera, back to Jack.

"...But just like falling in love, I'm willing to jump head first and take a risk and just give it a try..." She smiled and somehow, Jack felt something warm in his chest which almost made him want to hug Finn's laptop. "I know it's cheesy but... yeah..." She giggled, her eyes downcast and almost melancholic. Then she looked back up to the camera and Jack felt his heart stop for no reason. "Uhm, thank you for watching, I'm sorry about my weird ramblings, I promise I'll get better. And if you're watching this because of JacksGap then thank you as well. I know I'm not as great as those two but still... Uhm, so yeah. Thank you so, so much and I'll see you soon! Bye!" And as if on automatic, Jack clicked the Subscribe button, the Like button and copied the video's URL.

_ JackHarries: Our friend CaseyFreeman finally made her own YouTube channel! FinnHarries and I love her first video!_

###


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14: Building Bridges**

"Hey Jack Jack!"

"Hello, Case Case! How you doin'?"

"Did you just call me Case Case? When did that happen?"

"You called me Jack Jack!"

"But Case Case sounds weird!"

"Well, what should I call you then?"

"How about CC?"

"Oh yeah, that's a good one, then you should call me JJ!"

"Okay, but how about Finny? I can't call him FF, can I?"

"No, that's just weird. Call him Finny!" Jack said and Casey laughed out loud. Finn popped out behind Jack and said a loud "Hello!" to Casey who was in Bristol, talking to them via Skype. The three quickly fell into a quick catch up session where the two told Casey that they just arrived in their LA apartment. "That sounds great! Well since you're there, you should try Boba Time's frozen yogurt! I promise you won't regret it!"

"Boba Time?"

"Yeah, I worked there for like the whole summer before I came to Bristol. It's along National Boulevard," Casey said while digging in a bowl of crisps. "Oh god, I miss LA!" Casey said as Finn sat beside Jack, a cheeky smile plastered on his face. "Did you grow up here?" he asked. "Yes, I did!" Casey answered. "Actually I was born in Essex. Then when I was one we moved to LA." Jack, meanwhile, was busy checking his Twitter on his phone. "Really, so are you half American and half British? Or are you're just full British with an American accent?" Finn asked further. Casey laughed. "Actually, I'm a mixed race. I'm half British and part American and Thai."

"How did that happen?" Finn asked, taking a mug of tea out of no where. "Hah!" Casey said sneering. "You have to wait for my next video to know why!" Jack, hearing Casey, decided to finally set his iPhone aside and lean towards his laptop. "Oh, now that is very cheeky CC!" he said, laughing. "You're giving us cliff hangers! Now we would have to watch your video to find out the answer!" They all laughed. "Well I gots to do what I gots to do!" Casey said with an old Southern impression. "I'm being very business-like here! I actually bought a microphone this morning, and it's very expensive by the way! A lot of people said my audio was crappy!"

"Good for you! You'll get the hang of it! By the way that video was really nice, we were actually thinking of doing Music Monday again with you..." Jack said bringing the idea into the table. He launched into an explanation of Music Monday's concept and his plan to resurrect it after he discontinued the series late last year. Casey, on the other hand, thought that it was a good idea but pointed out that it could be hard for the both of them to follow schedule because of their travel plans and Finn agreed with her. "Yeah well we need to think of a plan, Finn" Jack said. Finn nodded a little as he drank his tea. "Okay, whatever it is you come up with, I'm in if you need my help. You know how to get me. Oh and by the way, are you coming back next week?" Casey asked.

"Uh, yeah we'll be back by Saturday in London." Jack said, fixing his hair as he stared at his own face on the screen. "Great, can I come and stay at your house again? I've been talking with Carrie Hope Fletcher and we're planning on doing a collab. Also, I need to give you guys something." Casey stood up from her seat and took a huge, orange box from her wardrobe. She set the box on the table with a heavy thud. "What is that?" Jack asked. He and Finn moved closer to the laptop screen to see the box.

Casey lifted the lid and showed them the contents of the box. "These are fan mails and packages for you guys." She took the box from the table, placed it on her lap and started rummaging inside. "You know, I have no idea how your fans found out about my address, my course schedule or my dad's P.O. box but these letters are literally spilling into my mailbox and only about a quarter of them are actually addressed to me. All of these are yours!" Concern flooded Finn's face while Casey showed them the letters. "Oh god, we're really sorry about that. I think we should send in a tweet telling everyone where they should be sending their letters." He turned to Jack who was already typing a tweet. "Uh, no it's okay, really! But I suggest that you do another Twin Mail video or something because your fans seem to be so awesome at gift giving. You literally have dozens of packages here!" Casey would have gotten so sick of YouTube if it wasn't for Jack and Finn. Her last video was full of comments telling her it was a shitty video because it was full of name dropping. She was being accused of riding Jack and Finn's popularity to get viewers. She even received a letter telling her not to market herself as "Jack and Finn's friend" because it was "sickening" to a lot JacksGap fans. She got so upset that she didn't open her Facebook and Twitter for days and instead spent the week watching other YouTubers which was how she got in touch with Carrie.

She sent an inquiry email to her and asked if they could collaborate in a video which Carrie quickly addressed. The two became quick friends and soon enough, they were chatting up on Skype. Carrie told her not to mind all the hate mails and not to even bother reading them. She told Casey that as long as there are people asking her to make more videos, even if there are only three or five of them, she should never let hate mails get in her way. It was then that she realized that even if she's getting so much hate, she was able to get more than a thousand subscribers to feed videos to in just a span of a week. To make herself feel better, she went shopping for equipment and clothes. She also started reaching out to other YouTubers, introducing herself and her channel and asking them if they would like to collaborate with her. Carrie was one of the very few people who was interested, mainly because they have almost the same passion: singing and guitars.

* * *

[TAKE 1]

"Hi there! I'm Casey and today I'll be talking about the seven things about me that you probably didn't know. As you know, I'm quite new here in YouTube so I figured this could be a way for you to know me better and for me to get to know you better! But I'll tell you about that later. First, here are seven facts about me!

[JUMPCUT]

"Number one! I know you can tell by my accent that I'm not British. I'm originally from LA living in Bristol right now with my dad, James!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Number two! Though I didn't grow up here, I'm actually half British. Well, more accurately, I'm half British, part American and part Thai!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Okay let me explain. My mom is actually half Thai and half American because her mom, which is my Granny, is a Thai who migrated to the US where she met my granddad, a pure American. My dad, on the other hand, is purely British. They got to know each other because my mom worked in Essex which was also where I was born! Then when I turned one we went to live in LA and I grew up there. Then when I graduated high school, my dad decided to take custody of me while I entered college and now I'm here!

[JUMPCUT]

"Number three! I'm here in the UK to study Drama in the University of Bristol and I just finished the second term... Which explains why I get to make more videos these days!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Number four! I actually get this question a lot on Twitter and Facebook: Do I have a boyfriend? The answer is no, I don't have a boyfriend and I've never had a boyfriend..." Casey paused and smiled awkwardly at the camera and then laughed and mouthed "Forever Alone."

* * *

Finn giggled and smiled. He was back in London after two weeks in LA. And while Jack decided to sleep away because of jet lag, he decided to check out his YouTube subscription list where he found Casey's new video. He paused the video and Skyped Casey who was still online.

_Finn: I don't believe you've never had a boyfriend LOL Don't lie!_

* * *

[JUMPCUT]

"Number five! I also get this question a lot because I like posting photos of my girl crushes on Twitter: Am I a lesbian? I'm not a lesbian, if that's what you're thinking. It's just that I am very geeky and weird while growing up and I usually just stay home and read books and study. And yeah, that's exactly what I've been doing up until today so that's why I never had a boyfriend."

* * *

Casey felt her cheeks burning, her thumbs quivering a little as she typed her reply.

_Casey: Finn! Why not? Are you watching my video right now?!_

* * *

[JUMPCUT]

"Number six! I love books so much that I actually buy more books than clothes in a year. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series, of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ender's Game. Right now, I'm reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green who is also a YouTuber! You can check his links down below!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Number seven! I am very fond of sweets! I love sweets so much that I could actually devour a pack of gummy bears in one sitting. I also love MnMs, Reeses and any Hershey's chocolate!" Casey smiled brightly "Oh, and any chocolate with almonds in it! I love almonds!"

[JUMPCUT]

"So those are the seven things about me! Now, it's my turn to find out more about you! Give me a short video response on the seven things about you so we can know each other better and I promise to watch all of it! All of it... I swear... So yeah, thank you so, so much for watching and I'll see you next week! Bye!"

* * *

_Finn: Yup, it's very cheeky. Do you mind if I make a video response!_

_Casey: You will?! Don't tease me Finn, I know you won't do that._

He couldn't help but smile as he read Casey's reply. There's just something about her that makes him want to do crazy things. _Ah, that's a very cheeky challenge._ So though he was very tired from travelling and had been fighting sleepiness for too long, Finn quickly opened his laptop's Final Cut Pro program and started recording._  
_

###


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15: Catching Up**

"Hi there! My name is Finn and this is a video response to Casey's seven things about me video."

_Oh. My. God._

Casey was screaming inwardly, her heart skipping fast. She stared on as Finn talked about the seven things about him as response to her newly posted video on YouTube. He talked about having a twin brother and how he joined Jack in the whole YouTube video making business. He talked about being a designer and a producer at the same time. He talked about his past job as a waiter at Union Jack and his love for Maoams.

_Oh my god, this is really happening!_

* * *

[JUMPCUT]

"Uh, seventh thing you should know about me is that, just like Casey, Jack and I are from a lineage of mixed races. We're quarter Scottish, quarter Welsh and half British." Finn said, smiling in front of the camera.

Casey paused the video and covered her face with her hands. She groaned as if in pain though she was smiling and blushing. She took a deep breath and opened her Twitter.

_CaseyFreeman: Look who did a video response to my seven things video! It's cheeky FinnHarries! _

She then copied the link to the video. Retweets, responses and favorites flooded Casey's Twitter for the whole week. Even the video responses came in like hailstorm. Her seven things video even reached thousands of views in a span of two weeks.

* * *

"Have you seen it?"

"What?" Finn asked while checking his Tumblr and Skyping with Casey. He was in London, in his room, catching up with fan mails and posts he may have missed while he was away. He and Jack had been so busy travelling that he wasn't able to track Tumblr posts about him and his brother like he normally does. Though Finn knows he's got a lot of catching up to do, he was currently more preoccupied with the photos he's been seeing more often these past few days. "Finn!"

"What?"

"Are you checking it right now? You have like a thousand views on your response video! And it's the first video of you that you have ever posted on your personal YouTube account!" Casey's voice was booming, her excitement uncontrollable as the support flooded her channel. "Yeah, I did see that last night." Finn said, distractedly, as he scrolled down his Tumblr feed. "Hey, go check Tumblr."

"What?"

"Check your Tumblr tags, quick!" Finn said, utterly excited. "I'm on it," she answered, quite annoyed at how insistent Finn was all of a sudden. "Go to the search box and type Finnsey. F-I-N-N-S-E-Y" Casey's started back at Finn who was grinning from ear to ear, an incredulous look plastered on her face. "Finnsey? What the hell is that name?"

"It's our name!" Finn said laughing as he saw Casey's weird, surprised reaction. "It's our ship name, Finn and Casey!" Casey just stared back as if Finn said something in Spanish, which apparently he was very good at. "Ship name?" Casey said, pausing to think. _Where did I hear about that shipping thing? _Then she remember the twins' collab video with Dan Howell. "Oh my god, so Finnsey is our couple name!" Casey said, laughing like she's being tickled. She scrolled down and saw animated pictures of her and Finn from their live broadcast and collaboration video. She also saw edited pictures of her and Finn in a collage as well as a few drawings made by fans. "Dude! We've got fanfictions!" Finn laughed and watched Casey who was reading one of the fanfictions she saw online. "Yeah, those are very cheeky. Have you seen the one where we..."

"No! Don't say it! Oh god..." Casey interrupted while Finn laughed some more. He looked at Casey's troubled face and his heart melted. Strangely, he found it charming that Casey is finding shipping really weird, instead of annoying. What's more charming for him is the surprised, funny face she's making as she read through the story. "Oh my god, there are A LOT of making out sessions in these fanfictions." Casey stated incredulously. Finn was now laughing uncontrollably. "Stop laughing Finn! I can't believe people even ship us!" Casey chuckled. "Why not?!" Finn asked, his chin on his hand as he leaned closer to the monitor. Casey's heart constricted seeing Finn's pretty face consuming her screen. "Because it's just weird!" she answered half laughing. "What does your girlfriend say to all these?"

"We broke up just a few weeks ago."

"Oh god, I'm sorry."

"It's alright! It's hard being in real relationships with the fans and the schedule... It's just so complicated sometimes."

"I see... So she gets those too?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know your fans can be a bit too... possessive... sometimes..." Casey said, her eyes wandering away from Finn's green eyes. She could have told Finn straight up about the letters she's been receiving. It's been almost two months since she began YouTubing, but the hate mails just won't stop. She gets a letter or a comment about her friendship with the twins on almost a weekly basis that it's almost starting to become a part of her routine to check on hate stuff online. "Do you get hate mail too?" Finn asked, his face was etched with concern and worry. Casey looked at his face on her laptop monitor and her anxious face softened, her breathing eased. In a second, she forgot about the tears she first shed on the comments and the letters and how she tried her best not to mind them. Casey smiled at Finn sweetly and shook her head. "No. But I have seen some comments on your videos and photos and your fans really seem to be possessive..." She saw Finn's face ease up but she didn't dare look directly to him. _Wow, I just lied to him... _

"I see..." Finn smiled and made a mental note to check her comments section too. He had a feeling she might be keeping something from him and he can feel it building a wall between them.

* * *

Casey pulled up on the side of the street where Jack and Finn's massive house is situated. She took her purse and the two paper bags beside her and got out of the car. She rang the doorbell and was welcomed by Emmy, the youngest Harries sibling. "Hi Emmy!" she said, kissing the youngster in both cheeks. "Hey, I'm gonna give you something, but you have to keep it a secret..." Casey whispered. The younger Harries nodded and asked her what it is. From her purse, Casey produced a pack of MnMs and gave it to Emmy who thanked her with delight.

It was half past 9AM when Casey came and entered the kitchen where Finn was already up and about, setting up his MacBook. He just woke up, his hair was still a mess and was wearing only his shirt and a pair of shorts. Still, Casey found herself gasping for air silently. "Good morning, cupcakes!" she greeted as she laid down the paper bags on the counter and hugged Finn tight. "You look very pretty in that dress!" Finn said, smiling. She was wearing a red vintage dress and some sunglasses. She also wore her contacts and dabbed her face with a little bit of makeup, just so she was ready when she meets Carrie for their video. With Finn complimenting her so early in the morning, she couldn't help but blush. "Thank you! I have some breakfast for you!" she said. Casey opened one of the paper bags and took out a Starbucks latte with Finn's name on it. From the other bag she took out a big plastic container and opened it up in front of Finn who was delighted to see waffles drizzled with chocolate syrup. "Sorry it's not as hot as it should be anymore, but it's really tasty! My dad made it!"

"It looks good!" Finn said, putting an arm around Casey's waist as he sipped his coffee. "This is really sweet of you Casey." He then kissed her on her cheek and held her close, sending ripples of hot blood up her cheeks. "Oh, we have to post this on Instagram!" Finn announced. He let go of her waist and fished his iPhone from his pocket to take a picture of their breakfast. When Jack entered the kitchen, half asleep, Finn and Casey were posing for a photo. Jack groaned in the midst of their laughter. "What are you doing?"

"Good morning JJ!" Casey called out. Jack rubbed his eyes and opened his arms out to Casey who came up to him and hugged him. "Want some breakfast?" she asked, her face alight with so much energy. "Yeah, what do we have?" Casey came back to the counter and gave Jack his coffee. He thanked her and pecked at her cheeks. He and Finn each took a waffle, placed it on their plate and sat side by side. "CC come here!" Jack said, pointing to a seat beside him. Finn got up to get her a plate and a fork. She sat beside Jack and sipped at her own coffee as Finn placed the plate in front of her. "I think I want a Maoam. Do you want a Maoam?" he asked Finn who nodded. Jack stood up and reached for a big jar of candies in one of the cupboards.

"Do you keep jars of Maoams everywhere in this house?" Casey asked. "Yep," Jack said. "You know what, I actually panicked because they didn't have Maoams in the US, they only have Laffy Taffies." Jack said shaking his head. "Oh wow, Laffy Taffies are good! So you survived more than three weeks without Maoams?! That must be hard!" Casey said snickering, her voice laced with a thick coating of sarcasm. "Hey it was really hard not having Maoams for weeks CC, stop making fun of me!" Jack said half laughing though he was trying hard to be serious for a moment. "I had to live with Laffy Taffies and burgers for weeks and my energy was always so low because I can't have my Maoams!" he said as he took a forkful of waffles into his mouth. "He's right. He was always tired!" Finn said, smiling as he took another bite of waffle. "So it's like your superpower! Like Popeye and his spinach!" Casey answered. "Exactly, I'm like Popeye, I grow muscles when I eat Maoams." Jack joked as he lifted his arms to show Casey his nicely formed biceps. _Oh will you look at that... Free biceps for breakfast?!_

She watched Jack laying Maoams on his waffles and Finn following his lead. "What are you guys doing? Aren't you scared of getting diabetes?" The two however, seemed to be enjoying themselves. "No, I told you, we need this for our muscles!" Jack said again. Finn and Casey laughed as Jack folded the waffle like a crepe, sliced through it and ate it. "This is really good. So how's school? Are you on break now?" he asked as he chewed. "Yeah, I'm done with my second term and I'm on vacation for three weeks!" Casey said as she took a bite of waffle herself. "That's great! Now can spend time with us here in London!" Finn said.

"Well, I don't know if my dad will let me stay here in London for three weeks. I mean, where am I going to stay?" Casey answered. "You can stay here! You need to do more videos because you're nearing 5,000 subscribers!" Jack said as he sliced through his Moaom and waffle combo. "I know! I am reaching out for collabs, actually. I've asked Carrie and she said yes. I've asked Alex Day, Dan and Phil, PJ and even Alfie, actually." Casey had started watching more and more YouTube videos. In fact, she watches more online content now more than television. "How about Caspar?" Finn said, remembering how their South African friend stared at Casey the first time he saw her at Ping. "How about us?" Jack interjected.

"I did ask Caspar but think he's quite busy or something. Also, I already did a collab with you guys!" Casey said. Though she'd like to be honest with the twins, she didn't want to be with them in another video soon. _Let's try to stay away from the bloody hate mail now, shall we?_ "We can always make another! We were actually planning on doing a collab with you at least once a month for Music Mondays." _Oh shit. _She can't let herself go into that situation again, not when her mailbox is being filled with hatred by crazed 13-year-olds. "That's a great idea!" she said. "But wouldn't it be better to collab with other YouTubers as well and not, like, stick to just one person every month?" Casey said.

Little by little, she felt it coming back. Her hands felt clammy, her heart started skipping a beat. _No... Not now... Keep yourself together._

###


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16: Musical Mayhem**

Carrie Hope Fletcher was everything Casey hoped for and more. She was nice, friendly and very talented. In fact, to Casey, making the video felt like they were just jamming. Finn also came with her and helped them out in filming both videos. For Casey's YouTube channel, she played Titanium using Jack's guitar and did a duet with Carrie. For Carrie's channel, ItsWayPastMyBedtime, Carrie played Soul Sister with her own guitar while she and Casey sang. Finn, meanwhile, busied himself by taking Instagram photos and manning the two cameras held by tripods. After filming, the three went to a nearby McDonald's to pass the time. "I saw your Draw My Life video, you said you played Eponine?! That must be awesome!" Casey asked Carrie as they ate burgers and crisps.

"Yeah, I was 7 years old then. It was amazing!"

"Oh god, I can imagine! I mean, I've always dreamed of doing Broadway!"

"You mean West End?" Finn said as he fiddled with the handful of crisps on his plate. Casey looked at Finn and rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, well when I dreamed that dream I was in LA so for me that's Broadway" she retorted. "You dreamed a dream, wow that's a very good Les Mis pun," Carrie said laughing. She whipped out her phone and moved closer to Casey. "Let's take a picture!" she said. Finn also moved closer to Casey as Carrie held out her phone to take a photo. "Oh, we need to compress a little," she added, noticing that Finn was barely in the picture. He moved closer to Casey, laughing as they sandwiched her in between so they would fit in the photo's small square frame. Carrie looked at the two as they bickered for a better position and she couldn't help but smile.

_CarrieHFletcher: Snacking with #Finnsey!_

The Instagram photo went through Carrie's Twitter which in turn alerted both Finn and Casey's phones. "Oh, it's on Twitter now!" Finn exclaimed, smiling broadly. "Oh no..." Casey moaned when she saw the new hashtag on Carrie's post. "Why did you- I swear to god, it's gonna be a thing now." Her new friend laughed heartily. "Don't you like it? I think Finnsey is such a cute ship name!"

"Oh, she thinks that the whole shipping thing is weird." Finn explained, still half laughing as he popped another crisp in his mouth. "Well, you should know that you're getting quite a lot of shipping on Tumblr! Have you seen Jasey?" Carrie asked curiously."Jasey, what's Jasey?!" Casey asked. "Jasey stands for Jack and Casey! Seriously, have you not been on Tumblr for that long?" Finn said as he checked his iPhone. "People are shipping you and Jack too, because he often talks about you during live broadcasts." Casey gave them a weird, puzzled face. "That's really weird! What does it mean to get shipped anyway? What do you do when you get shipped?" Casey asked. Carrie flinched and smiled. "Oh, I am an expert on this one because everybody shipped me with Alex and they didn't know we were actually together for a while," she explained.

"Like, in real life?"

"Yeah! I mean, it's good to know that people support us as a couple and most of the time when you collab with the person you're shipped with you get double viewers in that video! But it's really stressful now since we broke up."

"Oh no... Do they still ship you guys?"

"Yes, they keep asking us to get back together which is really hard because... I mean, we won't break up without a good reason, right?" Carrie took a sip of her drink. It's been weeks since she and Alex Day decided to call it off and still, people are asking them to talk it over and get back together. While it was painful for her as well, it's enough to say she needed the space as well as he did. _It was good while it lasted_. "Now I have to beg them to stop shipping..." she added quietly. "Oh that reminds me, you guys aren't really together, right?" Carrie suddenly remembered to ask. She was actually surprised to see Finn that afternoon because Casey didn't tell her he'd be there. She met the twins during Summer in the City last year but they never seemed so personable. They were always together, always surrounded by a bunch of cool people and seem to be very hard to approach even by fellow YouTubers like her.

"Oh no," Casey answered quickly. "That's not gonna happen..." Casey bit her lip. _Why did I say that out loud?_ She checked her Twitter mentions and realized that Carrie's photo has gotten a lot of reactions from fans. Some of them happy, but most of them not. "Why do you think it's never gonna happen?" Finn asked suddenly, his full attention directed to her. Casey stared back, her heart pounding as she was caught off-guard by her blabbering mouth. Carrie, meanwhile, just looked at the two who were staring at each other like they're from different planets. "Because... Reasons!" Casey finally said. Silence. Carrie bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing. Then Finn erupted into a fit of laughter, making the two girls laugh as well. "Jesus, that was the best explanation I have ever got in my life!" Finn said, still giggling.

The three left McDonald's at half past four to drive Carrie to the train station. "It was very lovely working with you!" Casey said as she hugged Carrie. "It was lovely finally meeting you! I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Carrie answered, hugging Casey back with one arm while her other hand held her guitar. "Promise to call me?" Casey said. In her head, Carrie is thinking about all the questions she would like to ask Casey over the phone. _I like her... We have to get to know each other better. _"I promise," she finally answered as she pulled from their embrace and turned away with a smile.

* * *

"I think this video is going to be really good." Finn said as he drove, looking sideways to Casey who was on the passenger side. Casey smiled, her eyes shielded by her vintage sunglasses. She looked at Finn whose eyes were back on the road. "I'm sure it will be! Carrie was so amazing!" she answered, her face alight with excitement. She can't wait to sit down and call Carrie._ Maybe I should talk to her about.._. She looked sideways again and stared at Finn's concentrated face without really hearing what he was saying. She just sat there, staring at his flexing muscles as he steered the wheel. She watched as Finn's hand reached for the gear, his fingers brushing against her bare knee. That little bit of touch traveled all the way to her thighs which felt cold from her cottony round dress. Casey shifted uncomfortably on her seat, moving her knees away from the gear. "...back to LA"

"What?!" Casey answered, her eyes pinned on the road ahead. Finn looked to her again, and stared at her lips which were very red from insistent, uncontrollable biting. "I said, do you have plans of going back to LA? You could make more collabs there! There are literally hundreds of YouTubers in Hollywood!" he looked at Casey again who was fiddling with the phone on her lap. He noticed how her legs were tightly pressed together and he can't help but purse his lips to hide his cheeky smile. "Are you alright?" he asked her, placing his hand on her knee. "I'm okay," Casey said breathing her feelings out. "Yeah, I'm going back to LA as soon as I save enough money for the trip..." Her hands felt clammy. _Why the fuck am I so conscious that he's so near me? Why am I suddenly aware that I am breathing the same air he's breathing? What's happening to me?_ "Really? Why do you need to save money? Your dad bought you a car, I'm pretty sure he can buy you a ticket..." Finn answered. He tried to keep his face straight despite knowing that Casey was squirming inside. "I want to make my own money for my own trips and adventures and things because I know my parents have so many things going on and I don't want to be the twat who adds up to those problems."

"Really," Finn said, he was suddenly all ears to this smart sounding girl. "That's nice!" Casey, on the other hand, was still grasping for words... Or air... "Casey do you get hate stuff from our fans?" Finn asked, feeling her discomfort. And just like that, Casey snapped out of her delirious state. "What?" Casey asked. Her face fell and her smile faded. As Finn rounded the corner to an alley she didn't recognize soon, Casey felt her heart giving away. She soon realized they were approaching Starbucks. Finn looked at her and saw the surprised look on her face. "I figured we could talk about it over coffee..."

"Okay..."

###


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17: Just Between You and Coffee**

Finn took a snapshot of his latte and posted it on Instagram while Casey fiddled with her frappe's whipped cream. Her phone suddenly beeped, informing her that Finn mentioned her in a tweet. Coffee for #Finnsey. Right, CaseyFreeman? Casey looked up at Finn who was sipping his coffee and smiling at her. He cocked his head to the side, motioning to the female baristas who were smiling, chatting and watching them. "Oh god, what is this? Tumblr cafe?!" she whispered. Finn laughed heartily, glad that Casey was still talking and joking around despite her heavy thoughts. "So, why don't you want to talk about it with me and Jack?" he asked her. Casey was silent for a while, contemplating if she should finally tell him.

"I don't want you to worry or fuss over me. It's nothing really..."

"CC, you don't need to hide it from me, or Jack..." Finn said. He looked into Casey's downcast eyes and felt the blanket of uncertainty enveloping her. He wished he could hug her, but it might only make things worse for her if he did as much as hold her hand in public. Finn looked into her eyes and gave her his half-hearted, worried smile. His lips formed a thin line, his brows meeting at the center of his face, his eyes intense but with deep care. Casey breathed in this sight and smiled to herself. She would have hugged him right then and there is she could. She heard tiny giggles behind her and it made her sigh. "Finn..." she said looking back at him with sudden seriousness. "If I asked you some questions right now would you answer me honestly?"

"Yes." Finn said leaning towards the table. He sets his coffee down, in between them, and puts both his forearms on the table. _What is she up to? _Casey gave him a reassuring smile and set her coffee down beside his. She leaned towards him and placed her elbow on the table, her chin on closed palms. "Why are you and Jack still hanging out with me? I mean, I'm not a big time YouTuber like your friends, I live miles away from here, Jack met me in the most unfortunate way anyone could have and I... I'll never be like what you guys are."

"Jack and I decided that we like you!"

"What? And what do you mean by 'decided'?"

"We had a small talk about you after the first broadcast that we did. After you left, we were editing some stuff and we talked about you and we agreed that we like being friends with you."

"Okay, that doesn't really clear it up."

"We like being around you because you're not like everyone we're already with." Finn took his coffee and sipped, distracting Casey as she couldn't help but check out the little muscles that rippled on his arm when he lifted his coffee to his lips. She gave him a puzzled look. "Jack and I lost a lot of old friends along the way and we know it's very rare to find someone who you can trust and who would treat you like a real person, not like an Internet celebrity or something. Somehow, we felt that to you, we're real people... Real humans with personal lives and spaces and opinions and it's just really nice to talk to you on Skype or... This!" he gestured between the two of them, his smile infectious as ever. "...This, right here is really nice for me. It's nice to be able to talk to you about our family, our experiences, our problems and our jobs without the premise of being treated like a famous person. We like you because you're kind, and honest and real..."

"Stop, Finn..."

"It's true!" he said in a matter-of-factly tone. "We feel comfortable with you, that's what it is." Casey was silent. She sipped on her frappe, thinking deeply, a little smile forming on her lips. "Okay, my turn to ask!" Finn said. "What is your problem?" Casey burst out laughing, which made Finn smile. "Okay... Uhm..." she cleared her throat and moved in closer to the table towards Finn. "You were right, I have been getting hate mails since I came to your show. They never stop. At first it really did hurt because I was shocked to get letters from strangers telling me I'm an attention whore and a slut and stuff like that but now I honestly don't care... except for the fact that most of the things they say are clearly too stupid to be true. Like, one letter said I'm just riding on your fame and that I keep name dropping and that I like you guys just because you're popular and I just..."

"You see! That's what I mean!" Finn interrupted. "I understand why they'd say that because a lot of people are like that to us, but you're not! I know it. I can feel it." Casey was silent for a moment as she watched Finn's earnest eyes staring right back at her. "You do?" Finn's face softened, a small smile formed on his lips. "Yeah! That's why Jack and I like to keep in touch with you even if you're in Bristol, even when we're out of the country, even when there's nothing to talk about! You're one of those people that I just genuinely enjoy talking to. You're smart, you're lovely, you're sweet and you're very real."

"Woah," Casey answered, her eyes growing big with every compliment Finn spat out. "Hang onto the compliments, sir!" They both laughed. "But really, thank you..." she said as she took hold of her frappe and sipped again. "I'm glad you feel that way and I hope I don't prove you wrong." Finn gave her a sweet smile. "No you won't." Finn said, taking a sip of his coffee. "And I'm so sorry about all those hate mails. I'm really helpless about these things. Jo had problems with that too, it's one of the reasons why we broke up. Same went for two of Jack's girlfriends..."

"Really?! What happened?"

"Basically, they were bombarded with hate messages on Twitter and Facebook and they just can't put up with it anymore" Finn explained, his eyes downcast. "That's the hardest part about our job... It's hard to find people who could put up with the tight schedule and the fans..." Casey felt his pain and knew, even if he wouldn't say it, that he's having a hard time moving on from his last relationship. "Wow... Your fans are ridiculous. You know I highly regret posting my dad's P.O. box on my YouTube channel. It's nice to get fan mail but I actually get more of your fan mail and hate mail than the very few nice messages from people! It's insane!" Finn suddenly stopped and looked at her face blankly which took Casey aback. "You know what?" Finn said, holding up his coffee to her, with his pointing finger raised at her. "What?" Casey said after sipping her own frappe. "Why don't you use our P.O. box! That way, you won't get spammed with our fan mail and we can all have an excuse for meeting up every month!" Finn had a big smile on his face, his eyes bright with excitement.

"Are you serious right now?!"

"Yes! Post that on your social media thingy, I'll tell Jack and our agent when we get home." Casey agreed and said she'll call her dad to let him know. Just as she was dialing his dad's number, Finn's phone rang. "Oh, it's Jack! Hello?" Finn said, setting his phone on speaker and lowering the volume just a bit. The two crouched together, their foreheads meeting as they struggled to hear Jack more clearly without disturbing the people inside the shop. "Hey JJ!" Casey greeted. "CC, Where are you guys? It's past six, you've been out for too long..." Jack said, his voice whiny as a child."We're in Starbucks right now. We're actually about to go home." Finn answered, raising his phone just a bit as he spoke.

"Well, hurry up we have some setting up to do and buy me a frappe whilst you're there. Caramel Macchiatto, Venti."

"Okay. Hey Jack!"

"What?"

"Casey and I had an idea... What if Casey told her subscribers to send her fan mail and stuff to our P.O. box? She doesn't have her own P.O. and besides, she's getting a lot of hate mail because of us so..." They both waited for Jack to respond. "Hate mail? Why didn't I know about that?!" His voice was raised just a bit above the normal and Casey panicked a little. "It's nothing!" Casey interrupted as she looked at Finn who was also looking at her. _Why did you say that?_

"Come back here and tell me the whole story, CC!"

"Yes, I will..." Casey said, her voice laced with a bit of annoyance. She tapped Finn on the shoulder and told him she'll go get Jack's coffee while the twins are talking over the phone. She stood up went to the counter and ordered Jack's frappe. "May I have your name please?" the young and tanned barista asked Casey who was busy checking Finn while he talked. "Oh... uh, Jack." The barista smiled and wrote on the cup. "I'm not Jack, by the way, that frappe is for Jack." The girl smiled broadly at her, her face bright and alight with giddiness. "I know," she said. "It's for Jack Harries, isn't it? I watch their videos, you're Casey Freeman, aren't you?" Casey was taken aback, but she just smiled, said yes and shook the barista's hand. _God, their fans are literally everywhere! _Casey then moved to the side of the counter to give way for other customers. In her head, she wondered just how many people in London knew who the twins were even before she did. _I'm a lucky bitch!_

"One Venti Caramel Macchiatto for... Jasey?" Casey was pulled out of her thoughts and into the present. She pulled out her receipt and took a look at what the girl barista entered. It was Jasey. _Oh my god. T_he other barista who was holding up the drink, waiting for her, smiled at her. She saw the look of conspiratorial glee plastered on their faces. Casey sighed, went to the counter and smiled. The other girl, this one blonde and blue-eyed, handed the drink to her, winked and then whispered, "I ship you and Finn, though." Casey instantly blushed and her eyes went back to the other twin who was now approaching her. She looked back at the girl who handed her Jack's drink and gave her a polite smile. "Thank you, and no we're not-"

"Baby, we need to go..." Casey felt a hand on her waist, an arm around her back. Finn, who seem to have a knack for teasing all the baristas in Starbucks, winked at the blonde girl and led the shocked and smug-faced Casey out of the coffee shop. She heard a tiny click of a camera behind her back. "Oh my god, Finn! Why did you do that!" Casey said as soon as they got out, his arms still holding her waist. "Cheeky Finn!" he said laughing like a kid. Casey laughed too, but not after smacking Finn on the arm as they neared the car. He opened up the door for her and they drove back to the Harries' mansion.

###


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18: Double the Trouble**

"What took you so long? It's past 6PM!" Jack said shaking his head as he reached for a Maoam. Finn, who was smiling broadly, went over to get his own Maoam. "I know, but can I have a Maoam please?" Jack took the jar and kept it under his arm. "No Maoams for you, Finn! You haven't even begun setting things up, I did all of this by myself! What kind of a twin are you?" Casey laughed aloud while the twins fought for the jar of candies. She sat down on Jack's bed and watched them as they bickered like kids. _These two are crazy. _In the end, Jack decided to let go of the jar and Finn agreed to set up the computer and do their social media postings. Jack sat down beside Casey who was now observing the dozens of fan art plastered on his room's wall. "Why is the name on this frappe so wrong?" he said observing the tall cup of coffee in his hand. Casey snickered. "Apparently Jasey is a thing now! It's our ship name, Jack and Casey!"

"Really? And you made them write this?!"

"No, I didn't!" Casey protested, her brown eyes wide as Jack drank his coffee. "I just told them it's for Jack and when I got it, it's got Jasey on it!" Jack paused for a moment and looked at Casey's brown eyes to see if she was lying. "I am not lying, JJ. They even wrote Finnsey on Finn's coffee and mine too!" Casey whipped out her iPhone and showed Finn's snapshot of his Starbucks coffee which bore the words Finnsey on it, written with a black marker. Jack raised one of his eyebrows as he sipped his coffee. "They literally ship you with twins! That's very cheeky!" Jack smiled and gave Casey a knowing look but Casey just laughed. "Oh no, I'm not up for a love triangle with two people who look exactly alike," she answered. "Woah! that actually sounded creepy!" Jack said and they both laughed, Casey being the loudest. With the amount of Maoams and sugar he's had throughout the day, Jack got more hyperactive. He pinched both Casey's cheeks, smiled and bit his lower lip. He just can't resist her soft cheeks that felt like marshmallows under his fingertips. Unlike most of the girls he met, Casey was one of those who never had issues with her body shape or weight. She knew who she was and is happy about it, which made him like being with her all the more.

"Oww!" Casey shrieked, her cheeks pinkish and hurting as Jack let go of her face, laughing with glee. She smacked him on the arm but was surprised that her hand landed on a very toned bicep that formed under his shirt sleeve. _Oh, he does work out. _Compared to Finn, Jack had a bigger body form and has a whole different approach to working out and making himself look good. Though she doesn't say it, Casey considers Jack as the vain twin while Finn the more carefree one. He caught Casey's eye, smiling naughtily as he did. _God, Jack, stop looking at me like this__._ She shook her head and looked back on her iPhone. "God my Twitter feed is so crazy today!" Jack then launched into an animated story of the mentions he usually get on his feed, from crazy marriage proposals to prom invitations, all of which he resolved not to entertain or respond to at all. "I can't share my whole life to people on the Internet, you know. I do have a private life."

"Oh my god, JJ! Shut up and check out these tweets!" She moved closer to Jack and showed him the overflowing mentions on her Twitter. She tapped on some of the tweets and read them. Apparently, a photo of her and Finn leaving Starbucks together, with Finn's hand around her waist, made it to Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram which brought about lots of questions from the fans. "Jesus Christ, Finn, look at this!" Jack called out to his twin who immediately went towards them and sat beside Casey. "Look at what you did!" Casey said as she gave her iPhone to Finn for him to see the photo which was possibly taken by the baristas in Starbucks. Finn laughed when he saw the photos and their fans' reactions. "That's really cheeky!" Jack said, his voice mocking. Casey, however, had a mixture of emotions that are too impossible to speak about.

* * *

Casey decided not to do the broadcast with Jack and Finn later that night. She opted to put on her PJs, sit in a small corner of Jack's room, stay away from the cameras, put her headphones on and edit her video with Carrie. Though Jack had been very insistent that she join them, she said no and settled for some silence simply because she didn't want their possessive fans to think that she's in a relationship with any of the twins. Finn understood her and told Jack not to pesk her if she really doesn't feel like it. At some point, Casey thought Finn saw the doubt and the fear in her eyes. Between the two, Finn seems to be the more receptive towards other's feelings. Jack, on the other hand, seem to have the special ability to make even a stone smile. The two decided to answer questions their fans sent in that night and during the first few minutes, Casey just listened without saying a thing. She sat there, just watching them talking to their webcam. Jack looked at her and motioned for her to join them, his green eyes shined bright as he invited her in. She just shook her head and smiled. _You have no idea what trouble you guys are putting me in,__ev__en if I don't mind._

"Jennifer089 says, #askjackandfinn Finn, are you and Casey dating?" Finn read out loud, distracting both Jack and Casey. "Very cheeky question!" Finn said as he raised both his eyebrows and looked at Casey who made a face at him, making him crack up. The twins looked at each other and Casey saw Jack silently saying "Why'd you pick that question?" to which Finn silently answered "There are so many people asking it, I just need to clear things up." Jack then looked back to the camera, finally realizing that people can actually see them talking silently and not sharing everything. "Uhm..."

"Yes!" Jack interfered, smiling broadly.

"No!" Finn shouted back, his eyes wide though half-laughing. Casey's hands, meanwhile, were on her face. She can feel the nerves kicking in. _Oh god, I don't want to see this._ "No, we are not in a relationship, we're just really good friends. Uhm," Finn searched for words to explain why he did what he did back in the coffee shop for everyone to hear, but all he could think about is Jo, whom he used to call 'Baby.' Jack meanwhile, was checking their overflowing tweets. "Oh, Joey Gatto, our friend from New York, said it's good to know you guys are not together because he totally digs her." The hyperactive Jack flashed a knowing, naughty look towards the camera and made a small "Oh no" sound as Finn giggled. "Yeah, go ahead and ship that! I want you guys to tweet Joey Gatto with..." Jack paused for a while and Finn raised his eyebrows, looking on to his twin as he thought of a ship name for their two friends. "CaJoe! That's #CaJoe," Jack said laughing as he spelled out the worst ship name Casey has ever heard. It took all her effort not to laugh out loud. "That ship name sucks so bad!" she mouthed, giggling silently.

Once the broadcast was done, Finn hopped out of the couch and walked to Casey who was busy adding up sound effects to her video. He placed his arms around her shoulders and hugged her from behind with a frown on his face. "I'm sorry, CC..." he said, smelling her soft, brown hair as he did. "Don't mind them, they'll forget about it soon." Casey held Finn's arm around her, smiling as he rocked her from side to side. Despite all the bad things she had been keeping to herself the whole night, she felt safe in Finn's arm that she wasn't even aware her lips were grazing Finn's forearm. It was only through their reflection on her laptop's screen that she realized that Finn was smiling as he watched her kiss his arm. "It's okay Finny!" she said, smiling half-heartedly. "They seem to have forgotten already. Just don't call me 'Baby' again because I will literally pinch you in the arm!" They both laughed.

"You know, you guys could really help me with these lights," Jack complained as he watched the two. Casey patted Finn's arm and he let go of her to help Jack tidy up the equipment they used. After fixing the lights and the sofa, Finn went back to Casey who was editing with a smile now plastered on her face and hugged her again. "I'm going to bed now," He kissed the top of Casey's head which, somehow, made her feel really warm inside. "Goodnight." Casey tapped his arm again and bid him goodnight as well before returning back to her work. Jack on the other hand went to the bathroom to get changed.

* * *

Casey was oblivious when Jack came back in with nothing but his boxers on and a towel around his neck. She was so fixated with Carrie's voice in her ears that when Jack's reflection on her dark screen showed she screamed like a nun seeing a naked man running around the convent. "Jesus, Jack there's a woman in your room can you please get dressed?!" Casey placed a hand on her eye and looked away from her screen while Jack snickered behind her. "You know," he said in a matter-of-factly voice "I'm just returning the favor because I saw you in your underpants! So now that you saw me in my boxers, we can call it quits!" Casey made a disgusted face and looked behind her, only to see Jack standing near his bed, still in his boxers with his hands on his hips. For a minute there, Casey got a glimpse of Jack's abdominal muscles. He had a very rogue looking body, one that showed his countless hours spent working out while eating anything he likes. When matched with slick, disheveled hair and a very naughty smile, any girl could have fainted at his feet.

But Casey just looked away and closed her eyes, moaning in disgust though Jack's half-naked image burned into the back of her eyelids. "Oh my god, I am so getting out of here if you don't get dressed right now" she said. Jack took his favorite gray track pants and put on a shirt, sneering at Casey who was shaking her head as she faced her screen again. She could still see him dressing up because the software she was using for editing had a very black interface. Once he finished, Jack took a chair and sat down beside Casey. "So, are we even now?" Casey paused her editing again and looked at Jack who was leaning towards her, his chin resting on his palm which was resting on his knee. "Yes we are," Casey said nodding with a smile on her face. "But just to be clear, I am not happy when both of those happened." They both burst out laughing and as the laughter died down, they were left staring at each other, all smiles as they both realized how much they enjoyed each other's company.

"Okay, I'm getting my laptop too, I need to do some editing for tomorrow's video." Jack left to get his Mac and sat back down beside Casey who was very concentrated on cutting and editing the last parts of her video. Jack stole a glance and saw Casey's furrowed brows and big eyes behind her large eyeglasses. Her hair was held up in a high ponytail with tendrils falling on the sides of her face. Her legs were crossed in an Indian sitting position on the chair and her hands were busy on the keyboard and the mouse. He looked back on his own screen which was launching his editing software and as he waited, he thought of the last time he had a lady in his room. He never had any girl whom he felt comfortable enough to be with in the same room while he dressed, half-naked. He couldn't help but smile. _What __just happened __Jack?_

"Hey, I'm getting water downstairs, do you want something?" Jack looked away from his laptop to Casey who was taking off her headphones and her glasses. "Oh, there are crisps in the pantry downstairs, it's..." he stopped when he saw Casey's baffled look. "Fine, I'll just come with you..." he stood up and placed his hand on Casey's back and led her out of his room. They went down to the kitchen quietly so as not to wake anyone up.

It was half past eleven, and the Harries mansion was at peace in their sleep. Even Finn was fast asleep after a whole day of driving around London. Casey found herself rummaging in a small walk in cabinet for crisps while Jack opened up the fridge to take some canned drinks. "Hey, JJ..." Casey hissed. Jack took four cans of Pepsi and went to check what Casey was up to. Apparently, she was bending down to the lower part of the shelf where most of the dry foods are stored, her bum sticking out of the door. He couldn't help but stare at her rounded bottom, her panty outlined on her perfectly shaped behind which was clothed in thin pajamas. Jack needed to look away and bite his lip to take away the images of her back in his old university room in nothing but her underwear.

"Jack!"

###


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19: Spacing Out and Closing In**

"Jack! I can't find the- Ow, shit!"

"What happened?!" Jack said finally moving into the small walk in pantry where Casey was in. "I hit my head..." she said, hoping that a bump won't form on the spot where her head hit the shelves. "Oh no," Jack said. He placed his hand behind her head and felt for a bump while massaging her hair, messing up her already messed up ponytail. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?" he asked. Casey just nodded, her heart constricting like it was being squeezed from inside her chest. She looked down at their feet and realized Jack was standing so close to her because of the very small space they were in. Jack took off her hair tie which sent her long brown locks falling down on her shoulders.

He silently inhaled the scent of her shampoo and let out an uncomfortable, worried sigh as his fingers touched her soft hair and her scalp. As his fingers laced her head tenderly, Casey couldn't help but tense up even more. His hands sent weird sensations down her spine, shooting little electric shocks everywhere in her body. She shook her head and Jack stopped. He watched as Casey's once frigid shoulders softened and relaxed. "I didn't feel any bumps... But you are stupid not to see all the crisps on the top shelf," Jack said pointing to the seventh shelf where all the bags of snacks were situated.

"Of course I won't see that, I'm too small to even reach that!" Jack cracked up and set the cans of Pepsi down and stepped towards her. Casey stepped back until she felt the shelves behind her. He reached up, chest meeting Casey's eyes. She set her head back as Jack reached higher, his right hand moving up to the can of Pringles. Casey was made to face more of Jack's muscled chest, his nipples outlined through his thin shirt. She can't help but hold her breath as she smelled Jack's newly showered scent just a hair away from her. "Here you go." Jack said as he got back to her level of sight and gave the can to her. She exhaled quietly and said thanks though in the span of time she was so near him, she felt as if her mind left her body completely. She smiled at him and left the pantry, still spaced out. Jack, who had no idea just how Casey felt, just took the cans of Pepsi back in his arms, shaking his head. _What just happened?!_

* * *

Back in Jack's room, Casey asked Jack to preview her video in the works. He pulled his seat closer to her and watched the whole of it, pointing out a few minor edits along the way. But as the vlog ended and the singing started, he lost his focus altogether. Jack stared at his guitar sitting across Casey's lap, her red dress flowing like rose petals across her shapely thighs that held up his six-stringed friend. Her fingers grazed the fret board while the others plucked expertly on the other end. With every sound it created, Jack felt more and more hypnotized. He leaned closer to Casey's laptop and, in a sense, leaned closer to her as well.

You shout it out but I can't hear a word you say… I'm talking loud not saying much…

Jack breathed deeply as he listened to her voice which stung him even when Carrie joined in on the chorus. Her face, even with her eyes closed, looked so serene yet troubled all at the same time.

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose… Fire away, fire away… Ricochet you take your aim…

Jack felt tiny vibrations beside him and when he looked sideways, he realized Casey was actually singing along with the video, even when she couldn't hear the beats of her own guitar plucking. He watched her as she sang, her lips parting with every word in sync with the video she made. Jack took off one side of the pink headphones he was wearing and listened to Casey's soothingly sweet voice. Despite her high range, he can still feel the deep vibrations of the low notes that she can perfectly hit even without listening to the guitar. Oddly enough, he found the corners of her mouth sexy. _Jesus Christ, Jack, shake it off!_

You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am Titanium…

Casey turned to Jack and the sides of her mouth turned upwards as she sang when she saw him watching her. Very seldom does she get to see Jack seriously watching something without turning mental or making weird faces right after. He raised one of his eyebrows, and turned to her laptop. There was only one more thing to do before uploading the video.

Casey watched as his hands expertly ran through the laptop keyboard. _Dammit, how does he know all the keyboard shortcuts and I don't?_ "Who taught you how to edit?" Casey asked as she watched Jack toggling the volume controls for her video. "I taught myself how to edit home videos when I was 12 on iMovie," he tapped on enter and held one part of the headphone close to his ear to make sure the audio quality has been evened. "But I learned most of the technical stuff from Louis and my dad and other YouTubers." Jack pressed Enter and started rendering the video again for Casey. He took off her headphones, leaned back and looked at Casey who had been gazing at him while listening to his story. She glanced at the clock. It's almost 1AM and she exhaustion catching up with her after a whole day of running around with Finn. "Who taught you how to play guitar?" he asked.

"A friend…"

"Who?"

"Don't ask, Jack… You don't know him anyway."

"Is he an old friend from LA?"

Silence. There it is again. Casey felt her insides churning, her mouth going dry and her heartbeat drumming faster in her chest. She breathed deeply. "He's a dead friend from LA." Silence enveloped them as she stared off into space, trying to control her breathing. Jack stared at her as she left the present momentarily. Then there was a faint Ping! The video was done rendering. Casey closed the editing software and started uploading and tagging her new video. She wanted to wait for Monday but she decided she shouldn't wait 'til the day breaks to show her video. _What if there's no tomorrow?_

"Do you want to tell me all about it?" Jack asked. Casey leaned back on her chair, put up her feet and hugged her knees as she watched the red bar moving on the screen. "You know I can listen all night long, even if I'm really sleepy" he coaxed. His gentle voice felt just like the soft hand that ruffled her hair earlier. It was sweet and silent and unreal, and it felt good. But she didn't answer. She couldn't bring herself to answer. Jack sighed.

"Do you want a Maoam?"

###


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20: The Secret Gap**

There were very odd noises coming from her mouth. Her breathing quickened and her chest hurt from heaving. She was laughing so hard while trying not to make a sound that could wake up everyone. Her eyes were smiling. She was smiling. And it only took Jack a bag full of Maoams to make her smile again. "If you wanted Maoams that bad, you should have just told me!"

"But you didn't have to pour all of your Maoams on my lap, Jack!" They both laughed. Jack opened a new pack of candy, took one then passed it on to Casey. "Oh my goodness, where did all these Maoams come from?! Do you spend all your fortunes on Maoams?" Casey joked as she removed all the packs of candy from her lap. Jack laughed hysterically as he helped her with the mess of sweets on her lap and on his bedroom floor. "No, these were sent to us on the mail!" Casey laughed even more at the thought of Jack and Finn eating nothing but candy all their lives. Though the twins do Twin Mail videos from time to time, they never got to show just how much Maoams they get from their P.O. box. Jack and Casey were able to fill a big paper bag with candies and even had a few packs to spare which they took with them as they sat on Jack's bed.

"God your fans are cray cray!" Casey muttered under her breath, her back ached after picking up Maoams that littered the floor. "If I were in your place I'd probably never want to see a Maoam for the rest of my life." Jack laughed as he lay on his bed with Casey sitting on the edge of it. He watched as Casey opened a Maoam and smiled as she ate it happily. "Come here," he said, patting the space beside him. Jack raised his hand to the back of his neck and waited for her to lie down beside him which she did.

He watched as Casey stared at the ceiling which was illuminated by the faint light of the study lamp. It was 2AM and she was physically tired, but her mind was running in circles and her heart felt like it was missing again. For months now, she's been trying to keep her anxiety attacks under control but recently, it's been creeping up like a rat from the sewers. It was tough not having Ken with her because he's on a holiday in New York with his family. She had no other friends in Bristol because she rarely talked to other people. She never went out to party with other girls or meet guys outside her university. Beyond the realms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube, she was friendless. Yet here she was, lying down with a person who was half a personality but wholly human. "What was it like in LA?"

"Good…" Casey answered as she stared at the white washed ceiling. "…And bad." Silence. They both knew it was very rare for Jack to just stay still and not talk. He was such an active kid that somehow a quiet Jack doesn't seem like a real Jack at all. Casey looked at Jack and saw that he wasn't sleeping. He was wide awake and his eyes were focused on her, watching her breathing heavily, like an anchor was sitting on her chest the whole time. All she could see were earnest green eyes and long, beautiful lashes. "I had a friend in LA, his name was Charlie." Her hands are starting to get cold. She grabbed a bag of Maoams and held it, played with it, to make sure the blood in her hands are still there. "What happened to Charlie?"

"He died."

"But, how did he die? What happened to him? Who is he?" Casey felt Jack's exasperation. He's not the type of person who would patiently wait for an answer. He's just Jack. Hyperactive Jack. She smiled to herself and it instantly pushed the tears upwards. "When I was 15 I became friends with Charlie and he was really popular at school. I was a sophomore then and he was graduating. He played in a band and he was two years older than I was." Jack turned sideways and faced Casey, his head propped on his left hand as he watched Casey who now stared back at him, her brown eyes searching his. "Go ahead" he said, willing her to spill everything out.

"He taught me how to play guitar and how to drink and how to smoke and how to wear eyeliner..." Casey chuckled at the memory of her awkward teenage self, her chest still heaving. "Then one day some girls approached me in the locker room after gym class and asked me if he was my boyfriend." She held on to the bag of Maoams tightly, her hands felt like they were freezing. Her heart was beating fast as she recounted her high school memories. "I said no but they won't believe me because they've heard rumors that we had sex and that I wasn't a virgin anymore."

"Are you a virgin?"

"Jack!"

"Were you a virgin?!"

"Jack!" Casey pushed him on the chest as she sat up and Jack was left lying down, laughing to himself. Casey, despite her throbbing head, couldn't help but laugh along. "Just so we're clear, those rumors weren't true and I still AM a virgin." Jack's eyes widened. He sat up and looked at her straight in the eye, laughter welling up in his stomach. "Really?!" He burst into massive fits of laughter. "So that's why you were so mad when I saw you half-naked!" Casey took a pillow and hit Jack in the face while he laughed. "It's not funny!" she said as she hugged the pillow close to her while her other hand clutched on the bag of Maoams. Casey's furrowed brows and pouting lips made him stop laughing. "Okay, I'm sorry, CC. Go on with your story." But Casey won't budge. She hugged the pillow and pouted her lips more. "Come on CC... Come on." Jack coaxed as he held out his arms to her, his cheeky smile plastered on his face. _Jesus Christ I have a virgin girl on my bed, how awkward is that?!_

Despite Jack's annoying face, Casey decided to let go of the pillow and hug him. He patted her back as he hugged her and felt her heaving on his chest like she was having bad asthma attacks. He let go of her to lie down on the bed again, but this time taking her with him. Though Casey heard the nagging whispers at the back of her head telling her not to stay so close, her body gave in as she snuggled comfortably in Jack's arms. As they lay there, her tears fell, like it did every night when she was 15 and every one of her friends started hating her. Jack didn't speak. He listened as she told him how the girls in her class, who thought she was a slut, took all her clothes while she was showering. She told him all about the boys who harassed her in parties and called her bitch and touched her inappropriately because they thought it was okay. She told him how, while she was being bullied for being someone she isn't, Charlie wasn't there. "Where was Charlie?"

"Charlie... He... One night he texted me..." she breathed hard against Jack's chest. _Breathe... Take it easy Casey..._ "And... said things I didn't understand... and I called him up, he said he was in a bar... and that he was so wasted. He said sorry and then he..." She had to stop to take a deep breath as the tears started streaming down her cheeks. "He hung up on me." Silence. She can feel her whole body going numb. Her head was throbbing. Her hands held the bag of Maoams tightly to her heaving chest. Her voice quaked whenever she talked. Though confused and worried, all Jack did was hold her tight, wishing that she had a different continuation to her story than the one he conjured in his mind. He felt Casey struggling to breathe and talk so he loosened his grip, patted her back gently and kissed her forehead.

"The next day… His mom called me… And the police called me… because I was the last person he talked to… They said he swallowed sleeping pills… valiums… ecstasy… he drank a lot… he was laughing and crying… and then he went to the bathroom… and they heard a loud cry… and…" Casey shuddered, her ragged breath was on Jack's neck and her tears smeared his t-shirt. But all he can do was feel her spasms, hug her and let her head lay on his arm. He thought of all the teenage girls who watched his videos and all the girls who come up to him in the streets and all the girls who camped outside his university room and imagined just how many of them had a story like that. "I'm sorry Jack..." Casey whispered.

She said "I'm sorry" over and over and over again and though he knew it wasn't for him, he shushed every single one of them and told her not to be sorry. He touched her head with his other hand, his fingers cascading through her brown locks. He massaged her scalp again and kissed her forehead and told her to stop. He closed his eyes as he held her, his other hand on her hair, touching her head like she was a purring cat. He felt her tensed body relaxing slowly as she fell into the oblivion of her dreams which he wished were better than her past and much brighter than her present.

With all the thoughts swirling in his mind, Jack fell asleep.

###


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21: The Finn-dom **

On a normal day, Finn would go directly to the kitchen and prepare breakfast the moment he got out of bed. But it didn't feel like a very normal day for him. The first thing he did after washing his face was go to Casey's room. She wasn't there. She couldn't have gone away because her bag was still in the room. He didn't have to scour the whole mansion to find her. _Cheeky Jack. _He opened the door to Jack's bedroom which was slightly ajar and found their big stash of Maoams sitting on Jack's swivel chair. There were dozens of candies littered across the floor, like a path of breadcrumbs Gretel left behind. His eyes went directly to Jack's bed where two pairs of feet lay. He crossed his arms on his chest and walked towards Jack's bed. He found his twin cradling Casey's head like an American football jock would while running to protect the ball from his massive enemies. His fingers were tangled in Casey's brown locks. Casey's head was buried in Jack's chest, her leg on top of his, hands clutching a pack of Maoams to her chest.

Finn watched Casey breathing slowly beside his brother. She was wearing a pajama set that was thick enough to keep her warm but thin enough to take the form of her tiny waist, her lavish bosom and her shapely thighs. He wondered how Jack felt when he saw her half-naked. He wondered what he would do if it was him who met Casey first. He moved nearer to her, gently touched her arm and whispered. "Casey?" She shifted in her sleep, her eyelids shut. She moved away from Jack and faced the other side. Finn leaned down on her ear and whispered her name. "Casey?" She stirred, her eyelid fluttered open. The next thing she knew was that she was staring into dark green eyes that smiled at her and mesmerized her. "Jack?"

"No, I'm Finn!" He said as he moved away from her sleepy face, smiling. "Oh!" Casey said, her voice faint and groggy as she surveyed the room she was in. She looked beside her and found Jack heavily sleeping, his arm still under her head like a pillow. "Oh my god..." She stood up hastily, realizing quite belatedly how awkward the situation was. "How did you fall asleep here?" Finn asked, smiling cheekily at Casey's predicament. "I don't know I'm just... Jack and I were talking last night and I guess I fell asleep." Casey rubbed her eyes and glanced at Jack again who was sleeping like baby. She turned back to Finn who was biting his lip and smiling at her like crazy. "What?!" Finn chuckled but tried to reign himself when he saw Casey's confused, sad face. "Sorry," Finn said as he chuckled lightly. "What happened to you?! You're eyes look like they were badgered by bees!" her brows furrowed as she realized her eyes felt really heavy and droopy. She stood up and went to the twins' bathroom and checked her face in the mirror. "Oh god..." Finn couldn't help but laugh as Casey moaned at her reflection.

* * *

Since they were both feeling different that morning, Finn and Casey decided they'll just have breakfast somewhere else. To Finn, it was a way of finding out what Casey really felt towards his twin. To Casey, it was a way of a running away to just let things sink into her mind. They ate at a little cafe just a few blocks from the Harries' house. Finn led her to a small booth and they both ordered toast but Casey preferred a mug of strong coffee while Finn, as expected of a true English gentleman, ordered tea. "Those sunglasses look very nice on you" Finn said, a cheeky smile still plastered on his face. She stared smugly at Finn and watched as his shoulders shook lightly and his laugh lines showed on the corner of his eyes. "Finn!" she groaned, but he laughed even more. He was like a kid, silently shaking with joy just across her. He was covering his green eyes with a hand and his thin, pinkish lips were turned upwards. It was so infectious that she couldn't help but smile as well. "You know you should be comforting me because now you know I'd been crying last night!"

"I can't help it!" Finn said. As the thin bus boy laid their breakfast in front of them, she somehow felt normal again. She smiled more easily and her chest felt lighter than it was a few hours ago. _Maybe I'm just hungry?_ "Oh good, I can finally get some coffee!" she said, her voice sounded like a chirping bird on a branch. She blew her hot mug, the smell of brewed coffee brought back her energy from the night before. She took a sip of her coffee then grinned and looked outside. The weather was too beautiful to allow one's self to feel down. "So what did you and Jack talk about last night?" Finn asked curious as he watched her look out the frosted glass. Casey set her mug down and started buttering her toast. "Was it about the hate mail?" Finn said, his voice filled with concern. "Oh no, it's not about that... It's just..." She stopped and felt Finn's gaze burning through her, desperate to know more. She sighed. "Finn, I can't do this. I might start crying again and I..."

"It's okay you don't need to tell me if you don't feel like it..." Finn said as he spread jam on his toast.

"I'm so sorry, it's just..."

"No, it's okay..." Somehow, there was a voice at the back of his head that said he might not be the twin she trusts more. "No...I..." Casey took a deep breath as she watched Finn fiddling with his toast. Her heart started skipping a beat again and her hands felt cold and sweaty all at the same time. "Okay, it was something about a guy I was friends with... Back in LA... Before I graduated high school. And it's a touchy subject because I've had to deal with the bullying and after effects for such a long time that I-"

"Wait, you've been bullied at school?!"

"Yes..." Casey answered as she gazed back into Finn's earnest eyes. She took off her sunglasses, set it beside her plate and rubbed her eyes. "Oh your eyes are back to normal now!" Finn said. He reached over and pushed the strands of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. As his fingers touched her face, Casey couldn't help but feel more breathless for a moment. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She smiled and after a while, she launched into a more brief explanation of who Charlie is and what happened. "So since then I always get hate mail in the mailbox and..." _Breathe, Casey..._ "messages in my locker threatening to kill me because they said I didn't save Charlie..." She had to let go of her utensils and rub her hands while concentrating on her breathing to stop her hands from shaking.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked, worry etched on his beautiful face. _She's really upset about this, isn't she?_

"Yes. I'm... I'm fine." _Inhale... 1,2,3... _

"Well, why didn't you tell us all about it?!" _Exhale... _"Finn, it's not like I really killed a person. At some point, I have realized that it wasn't my fault that Charlie died. I chose to study in Bristol because I wanted to move on from being so scared and anxious all the time and I did but..." Silence. Casey did another round of deep breathing, just like what she always does when she's on the brink of crying. _I can't break down. _"...But it all came back because of us." Finn finished, spitting out the words Casey didn't want to say out loud. She saw Finn's knotted forehead, his eyebrows meeting at the center of his face and his evergreen eyes downcast. Though Finn doesn't always broadcast his feelings, Casey felt the welling anger in his heart as she sat there across him. "Finn," he looked up to her, her brown eyes piercing his. "Listen to me. I don't blame you, or Jack or anyone. This is a whole different thing. It's not like they are bullying me intentionally. I understand them, they were just carried away by their feelings. I'm fine, please don't be mad." Finn looked away, his eyes landed on the sunny outside. _How can she still say all these things?! I don't understand why they do that to every girl we're with it's so..._ "Hey... You and Jack are Internet celebrities, that fame comes with a price."

"I'm so sorry, Casey." She smiled and sighed. "Oh, Finny, don't be! It's okay." Finn looked at his toast, thinking of who to blame about all this. Could it be Jack who was so adamant about going back to Bristol and who ended up finding Casey? Could it be him who was at the right place when Casey and Ken were shopping in London? "Hey, seriously, snap out of it." Casey said then grinned as she held Finn's gaze. He watched her finish her toast. "I like watching you eat, you have such a hearty appetite." Finn said. "You're basically telling me that I'm fat." Casey said flatly. Finn laughed out loud. "No! I mean, you're not like other girls who would count calories and order salads and all that." Casey raised an eyebrow at him as she buttered another toast. "You mean I eat like a man?!" They both laughed. The two walked back to the Harries house afterwards, feeling more cheery than they were when they left the house for breakfast. They were stopped by a couple of girls along the way to take pictures with them. And though Casey couldn't help but worry a little, she was starting to feel more and more comfortable whenever people say they look good together. _Well, we feel good together... So I guess... _"Will you ever get used to that?" Finn suddenly asked. "Used to what?"

"Taking pictures with me and our fans?"

"I don't know, I think so?"

"Really? Because if you're not okay with it, just tell me."

"No, I'm okay with it," she said but Finn looked at her with questioning eyes. "I swear I'm okay with it. I mean, you have really cute fans! They're always 'Oh my god, you and Finn look good together, you should totally be together, I love you both!'" She faked a British accent and they both laughed out loud. "That was actually good! You could pass off as a British girl!" They laughed even more. It was then that another vlog idea came to Casey's mind. "Hey, you know what?"

"What?"

"I think we should do a Q&A video"

"You mean we and you?"

"No, I mean me and you!"

"You mean, Finnsey?!"

"Yeah!"

"Aren't you scared about the shipping and all that?"

"You know what, I actually think that if this shipping thing works, it could probably dispel all the haters..." Finn, however, wasn't even thinking about the haters. All that's resounding in his head at the moment was Casey's voice saying "me and you."

###


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22: #AskFinnsey**

[TAKE ONE]

"Hi there! I'm Casey and if you haven't already noticed I'm not in my bedroom today! Now if you are a mad fan of JacksGap, you would know whose room this is..."

"It's my room!" Finn said sitting beside Casey with two mugs of tea.

[JUMPCUT]

"Say 'Hi there!'" Casey whispered with a smile.

"Hi there! I'm Finn!"

"Finn, Finn the better twin! And we're in his bedroom! How many videos have you and Jack made in this room?"

"None." Finn said as he drank his tea from a mug that had the small letter "f" on it.

"None! So people, we are actually lucky enough to film in Finn's room for the first time! How's about that?!" Casey said feigning an English accent while holding a mug with the big letter "F" on it. Finn raised his hand toward Casey and she hit it with a high five.

[JUMPCUT]

"Okay so this morning, I asked you guys to send me some questions on Twitter and Tumblr for Finn and me using #AskFinnsey. We printed out all of those questions and put it all in a bowl and we're going to try to answer them in this video!"

"There were so many of them though, so we're very sorry if your questions don't get answered."

"Right, let's do this!" Casey said followed by another round of high fives.

[JUMPCUT]

"Okay, first question" Casey said as she carefully laid her mug down on the table and took a piece of paper from the bowl. "If you had a superpower what would it be? I think my superpower would be electric shocks bursting from my fingertips! But then everyone I tickle would probably die..." Finn just stared at her with a goofy laugh on his face. "I think my superpower would be x-ray vision so I could see through people."

"That's a good one! But would you rather have a vision that can see through people's clothes or people's bodies?"

"Oh I don't want to see through a body, that's scary! So I'll just have an x-ray vision that can see through clothes…" He raised both his eyebrows and gave the camera a very cheeky look which made Casey laugh.

[JUMPCUT]

It was Finn's turn to take a question. "What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in school?" Casey's eyes widened. She looked at Finn who probably already knew what she was thinking. "You go first!" he said. "Oh gosh, I think you know what that is, Jack knows what that is…" she said, laughing. "But if you mean like in high school, I think the most embarrassing experience I've had would be when I walked around in school wearing a boy's clothes like half of the day because some mean girls took my clothes while showering after gym class."

"Oh god that's horrible!" Finn's green eyes were full of worry. He imagined a young, frail Casey walking around in school in men's wear and getting weird stares from people around her. "I don't have an embarrassing moment as bad as that one but I've been in a situation where someone I don't know suddenly shouts at me in a public place and people were staring at me like I must have done something really, really horrible." Finn kept looking at her sideways. Her cheeks were bright red. Casey bit her lip and stared blankly at the camera. She tried not to laugh but felt it impossible what with Finn's hot gaze on her. "On to the next question!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Oh my god," Casey exclaimed as she read the next tweeted question. "How did you two first meet and was it because of Jack?" They looked at each other and laughed out loud like it was some kind of joke only the two of them knew about. "Should we answer this?" Casey asked silently, almost unheard. "We have to answer that..." Finn said, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. With his tongue on his cheek and Casey still biting her lip, there was an awkward silence and then they burst out laughing.

[JUMPCUT]

"Okay," Casey took a deep breath, her face still red from embarrassment and laughing so hard. "To answer the question, yes, we met because of Jack. I met Jack first when we were in the University of Bristol but I didn't know him, I didn't know he had a YouTube channel or a twin."

"Would you like to tell them how you and Jack met?" Finn teased.

"No!" Casey answered cracking up again. She tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably. Finn decided to continue on with the story while trying not to laugh. "What happened was, Jack and myself were shopping in Central London and we were in this shop when Casey saw me. Then she immediately attacked me..."

"Hey, I did NOT attack you, you liar!" Casey said and she turned to the camera. "What happened was I saw him and I thought he was Jack..." Casey tried not to laugh. "And I came up to say 'Hi!'. And I was like 'Hey, do you remember me?' and he was like 'Sorry, no!' and I was..."

"She was so mad that she shouted at me in the shop. So we left the shop and she followed us out. Then she started shouting at me on the street and people were looking at us like..." Finn never got to finish the sentence because they were laughing so hard that they almost fell from their chairs.

[JUMPCUT]

"Alright, next question!" Finn said, his face a bit reddish from laughing. Casey was still giggling like a kid. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Casey scrunched up her face and thought of an answer. "Well we're kind of grownups now, aren't we? Because you're turning 20 and I'm turning 21, but after college I think I actually want to try being a wedding singer or a wedding planner."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I like weddings! I do sing at weddings, by the way, so if you want to book me the details will be in the description box."

"I'm a designer, and it's everything I want to be."

[JUMPCUT]

"This is a question that a lot of you asked on my Tumblr: Are you Finn's girlfriend and are you two dating?" Finn looked up from his mug of tea and gave the camera a cheeky smile. "That's a very cheeky question. I think this is because of a photo that they might have seen on the Internet of us leaving a coffee shop together..." Casey said, turning to Finn. "It was us, by the way, it wasn't Photoshopped or anything," Finn interrupted.

"Yeah, it was us but Finn was just joking around because the baristas at Starbucks were so into Finnsey that they even wrote Finnsey on our coffee when we ordered. So the answer is no." Casey looked directly at the camera like she was trying to talk to a friend. "And I've said this before on YouNow, we're not dating but we're really, really good friends." Finn added as he placed his hand on Casey's knee. They looked at each other and Casey smiled sweetly at this guy who always seem to get her into loads of trouble but she doesn't always seem to mind.

[JUMPCUT]

"Right, last question!" Finn announced. He reached over to the bowl, took a piece of paper and read it. "Oh this is a good one. If you could dedicate a song to Finn, what would it be and would you sing it?" Finn looked at Casey and searched her eyes. She stared back at him and thought of a song that would probably fit their friendship status but couldn't come up with any. But there was one stupid song stuck in her head and she couldn't think of anything else. "Hold on a sec!" She said to the camera. She leaned over to Finn and whispered something then left to get Jack's guitar. Finn was then left to make his signature sexy faces towards the camera which Casey didn't even attempt to cut as they were too juicy to leave out. _Oh let the fangirls enjoy!_

Casey sat back down on the chair with Jack's very familiar guitar and poised it on her leg. Finn, who had been playing eye hooky with the viewers, suddenly straightened out his face and smiled. "Right, I borrowed Jack's guitar again because I've been meaning to sing this song to Finn for the longest time." She looked into Finn's green eyes and started plucking the strings to Ed Sheeran's song.

***Settle down with me, cover me up, cuddle me in… Lie down with me and hold me in your arms…***

Finn stared back at Casey's brown eyes without realizing that he was smiling so broadly. He straightened his back and leaned to the back of the chair, put up his elbow on its arm and pressed his pointing finger to his lip as she sang. He remembered how, just a few minutes ago, she was fast asleep beside his twin brother just as accurately as the song depicted.

***My heart's against your chest, your lips pressed to your neck. I've fallen for your eyes, but they don't know me yet…***

He looked back at the camera and showed an approving look then looked back at Casey who was busy with the guitar. As he watched her hands moving gracefully, her voice ringing in his ear, he wondered what it would feel like if he was the one she slept with last night. Would she cry too? Would he comfort her too? What would it feel like to wrap his arms around her as she wept and slept? And what would it feel like if he…

***Kiss me like you wanna be loved… wanna be loved… wanna be loved… This feels like falling in love… falling in love… falling in love…***

As she strummed the final chord to the chorus, Casey stared at Finn, mischief sparkling in her hazel eyes. Finn, who doesn't seem to know if it was him or Casey's eyes that pulled him in, slowly leaned towards her. He puckered his lips slightly and he held his breath as she leaned towards him as well. Closing in. They were a hair away from each other and he could almost hear Casey's heart, beating like heavy footsteps on wood. Or was it?

"Casey… Finny… Where's my—Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you doing?!" Jack was standing in the doorway, his face aghast.

###


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER 23: Back Tracking **

"What just happened?!"

Though she would have wanted to stare at the better twin's face longer, Casey felt her insides giving up as Jack neared them. She broke eye contact with Finn and moved away from him, her eyes watered as her laughter burst out of her like long-contained wine. Finn held on to his stomach and laughed so hard that he sounded like he was being tickled. "Really, what just happened?! What were you two doing?!" Jack said, his face frozen in a state of shock and confusion.

* * *

Casey's cheeks hurt from smiling too much while watching the video for the hundredth time. She decided to end the video with her and Finn laughing hilariously and Jack looking like he just saw a llama transform into a cow. Though she was all alone in her room, back in Bristol, and away from the twins, she couldn't help but laugh like she did on that day. The Q&A video had a larger effect on her channel than she expected. Her YouTube subscribers went up to almost 10,000 and the video gained about 7,000 views in just one week. The comments section went ballistic. Her Twitter and Facebook accounts got flooded with direct messages. The numbers on her channel continued to grow and her YouTube earnings were also moving upwards in just a few days that she felt everything was spiraling so fast. It only took one green-eyed angel to change everything- Well, technically they were two green-eyed angels who look exactly the same.

_Jack: CC, mail's here!_ She smiled after seeing the name of the sender on her screen. As she was typing her reply, her iPhone blinked and vibrated, signaling a call. "Hello?" Casey answered, her voice filled with excitement. "Hey CC! You've got to come down here and pick up your fan mail!"

"You mean hate mail?"

"I'm not sure... But you still have a massive number of parcels in here, come check it out!"

"School has started for me, JJ. I have a paper to finish this Saturday so I might not be able to come this weekend. Could you hold on to them for me, though?" There was momentary rustling in the background and then silence. "Wait, what if we come visit you instead?" Jack said. Casey almost fell out of her chair. "In Bristol? Are you serious?" she spat over the phone. She heard Jack chuckle on the other end of the line. "Yeah, mate! I wanna see your room! Let's have a cheeky sleepover at your house!" Casey sighed as she leaned back to her chair. "Oh, I don't know Jack..."

"What?! Don't you wanna see me and Finny? You know to be fair, you owe us a lot. You gained thousands of subscribers since Finn agreed to be on your video." Jack said smiling as he teased her over speakerphone. Finn, who was inches away from him, couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, you owe me a kiss Casey!" She heard Finn shout and she cracked up instantly. _Casey, what the heck is happening to you? _"Okaaay, okay!" she said, laughing to herself. "But I'm going to have to tell my dad about this first. We don't have a guest room so we may have a problem about the sleeping arrangements. I'll call you back." She bid a short goodbye to the twins and ran down the stairs towards the study. "Dad! Dad!"

"Yes, baby doll?" James said as she burst into the room holding her iPhone. He looked up from the manuscripts he was reviewing, his eyeglasses perched on his prominent nose bridge. "I have two friends coming over on Saturday for a kiki!" She watched as his eyebrows rose, his eyes filled with surprise. He's been asking her to bring over friends since she came to Bristol knowing that she needed good company badly since she left LA. She never seem to be making friends other than Ken. "Who else is coming aside from Ken?" He said, putting down the manuscripts to look at Casey's excited face. "I have the twins coming over!" He took off his glasses and took a good look at his giddy daughter. He remembered her two friends in London whom she stayed with during her term vacation. Though he hasn't met them yet, he took to liking the twins simply because they made Casey smile a lot these days. "Are you going to do the video thingy in here?" She nodded, she can't even explain how ecstatic she was with the idea of having the twins around the very personal space she called home. Even the idea of her gay father finally meeting the people she kept visiting in London thrilled her to death. "Okay, but where will they sleep?"

That was a problem. Their Bristol townhouse was attractively quaint, enough for a family of three people to live in. Their two-story house only had two baths, an extensive kitchen and dining area, a living room and three bedrooms. One was Casey's room, the other one was James' room and the third room was converted to a study where he often stayed to work as a book editor. "Uhm, how about I move the stuff in my room and bring in those extra mattresses from the attic? Then we'll have a kiki on my bedroom floor!" James nodded, a smile painted on his face. "Okay, but promise not to make too much noise. I need to work all throughout the weekend. Also, ask them of they have food allergies so I know what to prepare."

"Yes! I love you dad!" She hugged her dad like a little girl and kissed him on the cheek. She ran out of the study and went back up to her room to make phone calls.

* * *

"Oh. My. God..."

"What?!" Casey asked as she entered Ken's university room. It felt like forever since she stayed in that room. She and Ken have not been able to bond during the whole break because she stayed with the twins in London while he was on a holiday in New York. "Make it up to me and tell me every single thing that happened with the twins while I was away! I saw the tweets saying you and Finn kissed on cam!" He was almost shrieking. His voice was high and he was jumping up and down in giddiness. Casey couldn't help but giggle. "Well, we ALMOST did."

"ALMOST?! What do you mean?"

"Haven't you watched the video?" She went towards Ken's laptop and immediately launched the Q&A video. "Oh my god he's really cute..." he muttered under his breath, his hand clutching his chest as he watched Finn who seemed to stare back at him through the video. Ken shrieks and pauses the video on the exact moment that Casey and Finn leaned towards each other, their faces almost touching intimately. She gazed at Finn's serene face, his eyelids were closed, his thin, pink lips puckered towards hers. It was a sight that can instantly hypnotize any girl. To see it up close, just a few centimeters before her, almost felt like a dream. Even though she planned what would happen, she got so lost in the sight of him that seeing Jack in the doorway truly startled her. "Was that real?!" Ken said, pulling her out of her reverie. "What? Which one?" she asked as the video came to an end. "Jack's reaction!" Ken said, reaching for the mouse to pause the video on the part where Jack showed up in between her and Finn. He was crouched between them, his face scrunched up in confusion. His eyebrows were knotted in the middle, his mouth fell open and his eyes intensely staring at her while she laughed ridiculously. "What did he say? Was he mad?" Ken asked, eager for answers. "No! He's not mad, he was just surprised!"

"What?! What do you mean?"

"Well, I did tell Finn what I was going to sing and Jack did see me take the guitar from his room. The kissing part was almost scripted, but the one with Jack was actually, purely incidental. Finn and I laughed so hard in the end that we weren't able to do an outro." Casey couldn't even keep a straight face as she explained things to Ken.

* * *

Jack drove the mini cooper along the M4, his iPhone glued to his ear as Finn watched Bristol's landmarks move past them. "Hey CC, we're still at M4, we're almost there but I really don't know how to find your address..." He looked over to his twin who was sitting on the passenger's seat, Keeking. "Yeah my GPS isn't working and Finn's being such a great help right now. He'd rather Keek than find directions." He heard a little chuckle at the end of the line and it made him smile.

"Okay why don't you guys just go to Nandos and I'll meet you there?" Casey answered as she stepped out of Ken's university room with him following her. It was a humid Friday afternoon in Bristol and they were about to meet the twins for a slumber party. "Alright... Okay, I'm on my way, see you soon!" She took the phone down and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh my god, is that... A Chanel earring?" Ken said as he walked beside her, inspecting the overlapping Cs on her ear. "It's just silver so it's cheaper and I bought it online..." Casey answered without even looking from her iPhone.

_Casey: Hey, stop making cheeky keeks and help your brother out!_

"You know I must say, your outfits are getting better and better these days. I am so glad you're not wearing jeans and artsy fartsy shirts anymore!" Ken said. He gave her a once over and fixed her straight brown hair. From the usual sloppy ponytails, Casey now wore pretty and colorful headbands on her hair. Her unwashed sneakers now turned into booties and flats. Her preference for big shirts became an obsession to dresses and her jeans were replaced by leggings which showed the curves of her healthy legs. "I highly approve of this outfit." he added, but Casey just laughed. "Hey, who are you texting anyway?"

"It's Finn, he says they're in Nando's waiting for some 'chicks'" She said and bawled over with laughter. Ken giggled and smiled at her. "I think he really likes you..." Casey stopped texting and looked at Ken with a very annoyed face. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me you're shipping us too?!" They both laughed as they made their way to the very busy Park Street where Nando's was situated. As they neared the restaurant, they saw a huge crowd of girls standing outside the restaurant, talking and giggling as they formed a circle near the entrance. "What on earth is happening here?" Ken said, quite loudly which caught the attention of the teenage girls in front of Nando's.

"Oh my god, it's Casey!" A teenage girl said. She pointed to Casey who was standing a few steps away with Ken.

"Holy shit..."

###


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24: Jack Attack**

"What's happening out there?!" An old woman said loudly, pointing outside the restaurant where a flock of girls formed into a circle. Jack and Finn turned around to see what the commotion was all about. They just got into the restaurant and are waiting for a hostess to usher them downstairs when they saw a group of 10 to 15 girls talking excitedly around a petite girl with brown hair and purple headband. "Jack, isn't that Casey?" Finn said, finally noticing her natural caramel highlights. "Jesus Christ!"

The twins went outside the restaurant to approach Ken who was standing awkwardly on the side and Casey who was then being swarmed by 15 year olds. "Oh my god, it's Jack and Finn!" they heard someone say. There was momentary scurrying as the teens made way for Jack who wrapped his arm around Casey. He wore an uneasy smile, his eyes filled with worry. A confused Casey watched as Jack made tiny greetings and expertly led her out of the circle of fans and into the restaurant. Finn also knew the drill. Ken watched as the other twin plastered a warm smile on his face, his green eyes glinting with kindness as he tried to divert their attention from Jack and Casey. Soon enough the fans were piling around Finn who willingly took pictures with them and hugged them. All the while, Jack was leading Casey into the restaurant and to a table with a hostess and Ken trailing behind them. "Good Lord, are you alright?" Jack said, his voice filled with concern and his hands still clinging to Casey. "I- I'm fine..." she answered as she sat on a chair that Jack pulled up for her. Ken sat beside her, his eyes were saying something she could not comprehend. "Uhh, I'll just check on Finny outside, you go place your orders and we'll get back to you." Jack said. He carefully patted Casey's head and went outside to meet their fans.

"Holy crap, is it always like this when you're with them?!" Ken whispered to Casey, his face flabbergasted. Casey wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. "Yes, but that's a bit more crazy because we're not in London so people are more psyched to see them." She placed her hands on her forehead and breathed deeply. The surprise, excitement, anxiety and sun caused her to feel dizzy and nauseated. "Case?" Ken placed a hand on her shoulder and noticed her face going pale. He signaled for a waiter and asked him to bring them a cold glass of water immediately. He watched as Casey tried to focus on feeling better but all she saw were the image of their utensils on the table, doubling like they were twins. She felt a hand on her shoulder and a whisper on her ear. "CC, are you okay?" She closed her eyes again. "Yeah I'm just... Feeling a bit woozy I think..." She opened her eyes and saw Finn's worried, smiling face as he sat across her from the table while Jack sat beside her, holding her hand. Ken took her bag from her shoulders, reached for the glass of water and made her drink. After a few gulps, Casey closed her eyes again and focused on feeling the water traveling from her throat down to her tummy. With Finn's blazing glare from the other end of the table, Ken's hand on her shoulder and Jack leaning close to her, breathing on her ear and holding her hand, she began to feel steadier. She opened her eyes and saw that the twin utensils were gone. Her dizzy spell slowly went away and things were back to where they were supposed to be.

"Are you okay now?" Ken asked. "Yeah, I think I got dehydrated with the heat outside or something..." She shook her head, sat upright and breathed slowly. She looked at Finn who was grinning widely at her. "You know, they were actually looking for you because they're big fans of Finnsey." Casey managed a weak laugh and shook her head. "I know, they keep bugging me to make you come outside! They were all like: 'Can you make Finn come out? Is Finnsey real? Can we take a picture? You're Finn Harries' girlfriend, aren't you?' It's insane!" Casey kept mimicking an English accent perfectly that everyone on the table couldn't help but laugh. "You know that was really bizarre, that was the first time I saw people mugging Casey like that." Ken said, also shaking his head. "It's exquisite!" he added and they all laughed again. "It's actually our first time to see her like that too because I think people are nicer to her when we're watching..." Jack went on and on about fangirls stopping them on the street while Casey was spending the summer with them. As he rambled on, Casey just smiled and leaned back to her chair, which she found difficult because when she looked down, she realized Jack was still holding her hand on the table. _What the heck?_

* * *

[TAKE ONE]

"Hello there! My me is Jack!" he said flashing a big smile towards the camera. The purple background loomed behind him."And my name is Finn!" she said, grinning like a weirdo to his right. Jack turned his head to Casey and gave her a weird look, "What?!"

[TAKE TWO]

"Hi I'm Ja-"

"Hi I'm Casey!"

The two looked at each other, surprised that they said their intros at the same time and laughed.

[TAKE THREE]

Jack and Casey decided to just troll the camera with a few seconds of close up funny faces. They came closer to the camera, their faces next to each other, crossed their eyes and made weird faces. They couldn't help but laugh at their own silliness. "This is so silly!" Casey cried out in the end.

[TAKE FOUR]

"Hello there! My name is Jack." he said, gesturing to himself. He gestured to Casey, which made her smile and she said, "and my name is Casey, and welcome to Music Mondays!"

"Yes! If you have been following our channel you would know that my cousin Eliza and I used to do a jam video every Monday but I decided to change that mainly because it was just an experimental project. However, a lot of you said that you missed it so I'm bringing it back with the help of Casey from the YouTube channel TheFreeCasey!"

"That's me! Oh but they should know, Jack, that this isn't a... Fixed thing... A regular thing... Because Jack lives in London and I live in Bristol so it's going to be hard to collaborate."

"But we'll figure something out, that's for sure..." Jack said turning to Casey. Her eyes were smiling again as she looked at him which somehow made him giggly for no reason.

[JUMPCUT]

"Right, so what are we singing Jack?"

"Uh, today we are playing Heart Attack by Demi Lovato and Casey will be singing whilst I play guitar!"

[JUMPCUT]

The two sat on Casey's plush recliner chair with Jack sitting on the edge. He had Casey's acoustic guitar with a heart-shaped hole on the center on his lap and he tapped on the light colored wood thrice, watching Casey as she readied and flipped her long brown hair. _Is it just me or is she getting prettier?_

***Never put my love out on the line, never said yes to the right guy, never had trouble getting what I want but when it comes to you, I'm never good enough...***

Casey watched and sang as Jack struck on her guitar, his long fingers moving seamlessly on the fret board, his head bobbing to the rhythm. And though she tried not to notice, her eyes landed on his toned biceps that bulged as he strummed. She shook her head and smiled at the camera instead. _Dear god, let me focus!_

***But you make me wanna act like a girl, paint my nails and wear high heels. Yes you make me so nervous that I just can't hold your hand...***

Jack stopped strumming and looked into her eyes. And in the millisecond that he smiled at her, what flooded her mind were the images of his hand clasping hers on top of the table just an hour ago.

***You make me glow, but I cover up, won't let it show... So I'm putting my defenses up cause I don't wanna fall in love if I ever did that I think I'd have a heart attack... I think I'd have a heart attack... I think I'd have a heart attack...***

Jack looked at Casey as she hit the high note, her eyes closed serenely as her hand clasped her chest. As he strummed, his eyes fell on the spot where her hand landed. _Jesus christ, those boobs are... _She looked at him in the eye and nodded at him, signaling a change in chords which Jack, who was grinning cheekily, obliged to.

***The feelings got lost in my lungs. They're burning, I'd rather be numb and there's no one else to blame. So scared I'll take off and run. I'm flying too close to the sun and I burst into flames...***

As she closed her eyes and sat up straight to hit the right note, images of Jack so close to her, leading her out of chaos, played back behind her eyelids. She remembered the worried look in his eyes and his voice in her ear asking her if she was okay. _I don't know, Jack._

***You make me glow, but I cover up, won't let it show, so I'm putting my defenses up cause I don't wanna fall in love if I ever did that I think I'd have a heart attack... I think I'd have a heart attack...***

Casey opened her eyes and saw Ken, who was behind the camera, watching Jack intently. Finn was beside him, his jaw dropped in awe at Casey's voice. She smiled at him, feeling proud of herself though not knowing how she looked like on cam. He smiled back, his perfectly white teeth momentarily blinding her to giddiness. She smiled and looked at the camera.

***I think I'd have a heart attack...***

"Yeah, high five!" Jack called out, his right hand up in the air. Casey turned to him, and reached out to meet his hand.

[JUMPCUT]

"Oh and they maybe wondering why you have a different background today, JJ!"

"Oh yeah, that's because we are currently in Casey's bedroom! Finn and I decided to visit her this weekend for this cheeky collab and we actually did another video on her channel!"

"Yep, you have to check that out because it's my first ever fanmail video!" Casey chuckled and Jack flashed a very nice smile to the camera. "Just click on the annotation around Casey's pretty, pretty face to watch that video or check out the link on the doobeedoo below. Thank you for watching! And we'll see you..."

"Next time!" Casey ended and winked at the camera.

###


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25: House Arrest**

Casey's dad was a cool dad. He was so cool, in fact, that when she opened the fridge she saw the top level filled with packs of canned beer which had the note: "I like the boys so you guys have fun. I went out for my own kiki. P.S. You promised not to be too noisy." She smiled and took one whole pack out of the fridge. Things like these remind her why she was a happy kid. And she still is. She took a big bag of crisps from their well stocked cupboard and called Ken to help pick up the beer. _Who wouldn't be happy when you have the house all to yourself and you have all your good friends with you?! _

"Casey, What is up with you and Jack?!" Ken said as they walked from the kitchen to the stairs. She had to stop walking because Ken went ahead of her and leaned against the banister. "What are you talking about?!" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Ken placed the pack of beers down and crossed his arms. "Okay girl, it's time to get real." Upstairs, in her bedroom, she can hear the boys moving her bed and a few more stuff to fit in the extra mattresses. "I know you've been crushing on Finn ever since you saw him in London. But what do you feel about Jack?" Casey stared at Ken blankly. _What am I feeling?_ "You know, I can see that he likes you Casey, more than Finn does and way more than you can see! I just have a different feeling about him... It's like..." Casey breathed in and mustered up sincerity from deep within her. "Ken, you are over thinking this. Nothing is happening between the three of us. Finn and I are flirty only because people seem to like it. Jack is sweet and concerned and... touchy... because..." There was an awkward silence as Ken waited for her reply. "...we're... really close!"

"CC, is it okay if we move your dresser a bit?" Finn said, interrupting their conversation. They looked up to the green-eyed angel and she smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sure! I'll be there in a sec!" she flashed him an uneasy smile as he left. She then turned back to her best friend. "Oh my god he is such a flirt! Did you see how he looked at you? It's like he is peeling your-"

"Ken!"

"What?! I'm just saying!"

"Don't say it, okay, I don't want to hear it." Silence. It was like Ken was looking through a transparent version of a Barbie. He smiled at her and touched her hair. "I understand... I promise to zip my lips now." She smiled. "Thanks," she reached over and kissed him on the cheek which made him smile. "Now let's go back to that kiki!" They got up and went back to Casey's room which now looked like a sea of mattresses.

* * *

Casey woke up the next day with the sound of the telephone ringing downstairs. She looked at the digital clock on her bedside table. It was 7 in the morning. "What the fuck..." Lazily, she sat up, rubbed her eyes and took her prescription glasses from the drawer in her bedside table. She looked around her and saw the mess of look alike bodies on the mattresses on her floor along with seemingly endless cans of beers and cigarette butts. Beside her, Ken was starting to move as well. "Case, someone's calling..." he said, still groggy from sleep. She waited for the phone to stop ringing but it didn't. It rang and rang, crying for attention. "Jeez, I'm coming!" Grumpily, she got up from bed and ran downstairs. "Hello?"

"Oh, hello! Good morning, are you James' daughter?" She was surprised the caller knew her. "Uh, yes who is this?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh, this is Mildred from next door!" Casey looked out the window which was about a foot away from the neighbor's window. She saw a middle aged woman wearing a frilly cotton dress waving at her. She waved back and smiled. "Oh hi! My name is Casey, what can I do for you?" It was the first time, since she came to Bristol, that she was able to talk to a neighbor. "Hello Casey! Is your dad in there?" she asked, her British accent thick through the phone's earpiece. "No, he went out last night. It's just me here and a couple of friends." Her heart thumped. _Shit, were we that noisy last night? Dad's going to kill me... "_Oh I see... Well, I just called because I wanted to check if everything's... Alright..." Casey was confused. "Uhm, yeah everything's fine Mildred, thanks for asking. Is there a problem?"

"Oh, okay... I just thought something bad happened inside because there seems to be a very large... Uhm... Group of people on your lawn?"

"What?"

"There's a bunch of teenagers waiting outside your house... They have been there since... I don't know, some of them were there last night, some came in early this morning, about 5AM and..." Casey tuned out. She clasped the mouthpiece of the wireless phone and went to the window near the door. "Oh. My. God..." There were teenage girls waiting in front of their house, some of them even carrying posters and gifts. Some were looking at the house, some were waiting at the curbside, some were on the edges of their manicured lawn talking and giggling.

* * *

"Jack! Wake up!" He felt someone shaking him on the shoulder. "What?" he moaned in protest. "There are fans camping outside my house!" Casey said whispering to his ear. "What?" he said again opening one eye. As he opened his eyes fully, Casey came into focus. She was leaning down on him, her blue camisole and pajamas hung about her, giving him a full view of her cleavage though she doesn't seem to notice. Her brown eyes stared back at him and her long brown hair touched his cheek. _Jesus, what a sight. _"Come on, Jack!" She pulled his arm and forced him to sit up. "Casey what are you doing?" She stood up and pulled him more, asking him to stand up and follow her. With a heavy body, Jack stood up and Casey took his hand. He looked down and watched their intertwined hands again as she led him to the big window in the hallway. _This could be a thing... _"Jack, look!" He peered out the window where she was pointing and his eyes went wide. Some of the girls were peering inside the red Mini Cooper which was parked on the driveway. Most of them were waiting outside, scattered on the street. "Jesus Christ! What is that?!"

"You tell me! I don't think those are MY fans..."

"But how did they know that we're here? We didn't tweet anything and the video isn't out yet!"

"Probably because you drive a really noticeable red Mini Cooper? I don't know, my neighbors have been calling me asking me if I was okay!"

"What's happening?" Finn said, sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and went out of the room. Casey tried her best not to gape at the sight of him, his hair was ruffled sexily on his head."I think you need to dress up and fix your hair because your fans are waiting for you," she said. They stood there for a few seconds, watching teenage girls sauntering outside, waiting for them. One of the girls noticed the three brooding near the windows. "Hey, there they are!" The girls begun talking loudly, calling out to them. The neighbors were starting to look out the streets to see what the commotion was all about. "Holy fuck, Casey?!" they heard Ken say. She went inside and saw that he was wide awake. "What is happening right now? Why are we being mobbed?!" there was panic in his voice that Casey has never heard of. She forgot that he wasn't a YouTuber and he hasn't fully realized the power of the community built around it. "Relax, they just wanted to see us."

"So what are you going to do now?" Ken asked

"We can't be on house arrest, we need to dress up and meet them." Jack answered smugly.

* * *

A few minutes after, Casey and the twins appeared on the driveway to meet the fans. "Oh my god, you're so pretty!" one of the teenage fans commented as they hugged her. "Thank you! How did you guys know my address?" she asked. "Oh, I took them here, I'm sorry... Do you remember me?" one of the girls said. "Of course! You're May, I hosted your birthday party!" she answered, hugging May and her friends. While their little neighborhood wondered what was going on outside their house, Casey and the twins have managed to meet and greet everyone. There were about 25 people or so, most of them brought gifts and packs of Maoams for all the three of them. There were hundreds and hundreds of pictures taken. At some point, Finn came towards the pack of girls that surrounded Casey and said hi to them which sent many of them reeling. "Finn we totally ship you with Casey!" one if the girls said.

"Oh, thank you! I ship us too!" he answered laughing and giving the girl a high five. Casey just shook her head, smiling broadly with Finn on her side. Since her summer in London, she had gotten very used to people pairing her with Finn. The Finnsey fandom was starting to grow so well since her previous video that all she can find on Tumblr when she searches her name are photos of her and Finn taken on the streets, in shops, on meet and greets and even in videos and vlogs that they were in. It was as if they have created two different individuals based on themselves for the amusement of their fans. However, for Casey, it wasn't a painful sacrifice to make. She liked Finn, that she knew too well. Besides, the Finnsey fandom has become her shield against haters whom she can never escape. "Can you two kiss for us?"

"What?! No!" Casey said laughing. Sometimes these fans can get ahead of themselves. "I can give her a cheeky kiss on the cheek though, if that's okay?" Finn argued, looking at her. His dark green eyes spoke to her as if telepathically transferring messages to her brain. _Just say yes... _Casey smiled. "Fine, but this is just a friendly ki-" But Finn went ahead and kissed her on the cheek anyway. For a split second, he held her waist tightly beside him and pecked her cheek which went instantly red. The girls squealed and asked for one more so they can take a picture. While Casey was protesting, Finn had already been planting three, four, five kisses on her left cheek and all she could do was laugh while everyone squealed.

A couple more minutes and the three decided it was time to cut the mini meet and greet session. Jack and Finn started saying goodbye to the girls and hugging them while Casey took a few more pictures before going back in. One of the girls asked Casey if she was going to Summer In The City. "Oh no, I don't think so. I haven't got an invite yet but I'll let you know!" She felt a hand clasping hers and pulling her away. As she turned, he saw Jack smiling at her. "What did the girl say?" Jack asked once they closed the door behind them. "She asked me if I am coming to SITC."

"Are you?" Jack asked, remembering the event that they confirmed to be in on August. "Oh no... I don't have invites to that and the tickets are sold out..." Silence.

"Do you want to come with me?"

###


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26: Summer In The City**

Casey stared at her desk blankly. It was 10pm and somehow, she still can't decide whether to go to SITC or not. _Why am I even thinking about this? I turned down Jack's offer!_ She sat up straight and opened her laptop. She checked the list of YouTubers who have confirmed their appearance at SITC.

Though she had been getting a steady flow of people, in fact by the end of July she was able to gain 10,000 subscriptions and almost half a million views on her channel, Casey doesn't regard herself as a popular girl. She wasn't even surprised that she isn't on the guest list. There was only one reason why she wanted to go to the London gathering, and that's to fangirl over her favorite YouTubers. _When you get so exposed to a community like YouTube, you get to see lots of amazing talents which humbles you and turns you into an ever living fan. _

_Hey Gappers! We're giving away ONE ticket for SITC! Whoever has the highest score in this JacksGap quiz wins!_

Casey blinked when she saw the Tweet in front of her. Without even thinking, she clicked the link and answered the quiz.

* * *

The three youngsters looked around them. The station was filled with so many people that it was hard to make out where the ticket winner was. They have agreed to meet up with her in the tube and go to Alexandra Palace together. "Where is she?" One of them, a black haired girl, asked. "She said she's standing near the escalators and she's wearing a blue dress," their blonde leader said. The taller blonde spotted a girl with brown hair near the exit. "Maureen, there she is!" They all turned. The girl was standing near the platform's exit where the people piled up to leave the station. They walked towards the stranger. "Now remember, we can't be too nice to her. She got a perfect score in the quiz in less than 40 seconds which means she must be a leader of another fan group!" Maureen whispered. With their chins up, they cautiously walked up to the girl in blue. "Are you AC?" Maureen asked. The girl looked up to them, smiled and took off her sunglasses.

"Oh my god!" the black haired girl gasped. The taller blonde girl squealed in delight. "Casey?! But, why did you join our contest?! Aren't you supposed to be in the guest list or something?" Maureen asked, her eyes big and her voice trembling. The three were so shocked that they almost cried seeing her. They asked for a hug which Casey gladly obliged to. "Oh no, I wasn't invited to it and the tickets were all sold out so you guys were my last resort."

"But why? Why would you need tickets? I'm Sure Jack and Finn can let you in!" the tall girl asked. "I'm not coming there as a YouTuber, I'm coming as a fan, like you guys!" Casey explained as they walked to the exit. It wasn't even a lie. As she was preparing that morning, she kept worrying that people would recognize her. She didn't want to be seen as Casey the YouTuber. All she wanted was a normal day to herself without being referenced as Jack and Finn's friend. But there she was, using her knowledge about the twins to get passes to the event.

"So who's your favorite YouTuber?"

"I'll tell you but you have to keep it a secret," she looked at the three girls and they nodded, excitement running through their veins. "I have a massive, massive crush on Dan Howell..." Casey said, smiling shyly. The three girls squealed and giggled as they got into a cab. She had been stalking Dan from the first time she saw him on the Twin Telepathy video. She had branded herself a closeted Dangirl but was too shy to come out because she knew her YouTuber friends would tease her about it. _Especially Jack..._

Casey was surprised to hear how much these girls knew about her. But what surprised her the most was the amount of people who went to line up that morning in front of the Alexandra Palace. There were probably thousands of young people, male and female, lining up like ants to get into the doors. "Holy cow, there are sooo many people!" she exclaimed. The three girls said that last year, they got to the gates at half past one in the afternoon because the venue was too small to accommodate all the people. They also said they were sure the new venue was much better and bigger than before so it probably wouldn't take as long as it did the last time. Looking around and seeing hundreds of excited faces, it occurred to Casey that she may have lacked the time or energy to listen to her own fans that she was so surprised with the fandom stories they kept on sharing. It was all going well when a little girl, about 14 years old, approached her.

"Hey, aren't you Finn Harries' girlfriend?"

"I-I'm sorry?" Casey asked, her three companions looked at her too. "Oh, no! I'm not his girlfriend... I'm..." But in the short span of time that she talked, Casey realized that she has given too much away and that people within earshot are starting to look. "You're Casey Freeman?" another voice in the crowd said. Casey heard murmurs and gasps around her. The wide-eyed girl looked at her and asked if she can take a picture but she smiled and politely declined. "I'm sorry, I can't really... Do that right now..." The teenager sighed and went back to her line.

The line moved and they slowly followed into the doors of the venue. As they walked towards the grand entrance that will lead them to the lobby, Casey's pulse quickened and she couldn't tell if it was due to excitement or nervousness. She haven't had the chance to talk to Jack or Finn since the day before because they were too busy with business meetings. Due to the last minute decisions, she wasn't able to ask Ken if she could stay over his London apartment for the night. Simply put, she had no place to go after the event and all she had in her purse was her credit card, her phone, her small vlogging camera and a small, portable toothbrush. "Hey Casey, wanna stalk some YouTubers?" Maureen said, nudging Casey with her elbow. Casey looked at her, puzzled. "How are we going to do that?"

"Just act natural and follow me." Maureen walked quickly towards another door that bore the words 'West Hall' Casey and the two girls followed suit. They entered a hallway that led to a massive ballroom where various food bars were located. Maureen moved to their left and walked towards a hotdog sandwich stand. "Maureen, we're not exactly hungry right now..." Casey said as she followed the blonde girl. But the girl kept on walking towards the stand. Casey couldn't help but look at the moustached hotdog vendor who was watching as they strode towards him. Casey looked back at Maureen and followed her closely. _She's probably really hungry right now. _But as they neared the hotdog stand, Maureen slipped to the side which apparently covers two blue double doors. The three huddled behind Maureen as she pushed the doors and they silently slipped in. They were welcomed to a small bar were very few people sat in posh chairs. Maureen moved to the right end of the bar where a big, wooden door with brass handles stood.

They went through the door and found themselves in a dimly lit hallway. The walls were made in lacquered wood which bore uniformed doors on every side. Casey gaped. "Where the hell are we?" she asked. She felt like she was Alice and was about to enter Wonderland. There were three doors from where they were standing. The one in front of them was draped in black curtain. And as Maureen approached the door on the left, it dawned on Casey that they were actually just a few steps away from the backstage area. "Girls, brace yourselves... We're about to get into the SITC Green Room." Maureen said, a self satisfied smile etched on her face. It took her days to plan out this route, hoping against hope that they get to see what's inside the YouTuber's hub. But as she was about to twist the knob on the door that leads to the mezzanine floor, someone from the other side opened it. Casey' heart skipped a beat. They all froze. A large man came out, wearing a black shirt that bore the event's name, his stern face was filled with surprise.

Behind him was a little ball of sunshine in a red dress, holding a guitar.

"Carrie!"

###


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27: Right Behind You**

They hugged instantly, like two different poles of magnets attracting. The three fangirls behind Casey couldn't help but grin at the sight of them. "Hi Carrie!" they greeted. The YouTube star greeted them back, confusion crossing her face. "Are these... Your friends?" she asked Casey. "Yes! This is Maureen and..." she pointed to the other blonde girl, realizing belatedly that she didn't even know their names. Apparently, the taller blonde was named Nikki while the black haired girl was named Marla. The three girls asked for a picture which they gladly obliged to.

Though they lived very far apart, Casey and Carrie never failed to text and tweet each other every day. It was a small fascination that turned into habit which became the foundation of their friendship. Casey found herself sharing stories and feelings that she never told Ken, even though she regarded him as her best mate. _We all need a female BFF to share feelings to. Besides, Ken wouldn't understand if I told him that..._

"Hey, would you like to join me onstage? I'll be singing in a few seconds." Carrie said, interrupting Casey's thoughts and looking at her expectantly. "Oh, no... Uhm..." Casey moved closer to her and whispered. "They didn't know I was coming..."

"What?! Why not?! I thought you were here because of them!?"

"No, I-"

"Ms. Fletcher, the show is about to start," said the big, muscular security guy. Carrie scrambled with her guitar and kissed Casey on the cheek. "We need to talk. Stay near the stage, away from the lights, so I can see you, okay?" Casey nodded. The muscular guy escorted the five of them towards the backstage door. Carrie waved to them as the man led them out of the restricted area and into a tiny spot near the stage. Little by little, Casey's nervousness faded away. Every song that entered her ears soothed her heart and loosened her body. She looked around the sea of people she was in and realized that she can actually enjoy and let loose without having to worry that she would be seen. In a crowd of music loving YouTube fans, Casey knew that she wasn't a beautiful and unique snowflake. She was just like everyone else. And as Carrie took the stage, she allowed herself to sway along with her friend's brilliant songwriting, her pinkie up in the air.

* * *

Finn settled for a seat near the glass windows of the Palace Suites. He was getting tired of Jack's incessant walking and talking. _Oh god, can he be any more annoying?! _Jack kept prancing about in the green room, fooling around with Sam and Mazz. It's not like he hated pranking people, he had his fair share of naughty tricks when he was at school (like putting a pin on his teacher's chair and exchanging classes with Jack). But he was never the type of guy who would last a whole day annoying people. So instead, he took the heavy Canon camera hanging from his neck, moved the curtains that block the mezzanine floor's window and took pictures of the swaying crowd a few feet below them. Though he couldn't hear anything from where he was, he knew Carrie was onstage because of the hundreds of raised pinkies in the air, the sign of the Hopefuls. He couldn't help but wonder just how many Gappers were out there, in the pool of audience that resembled a mosh pit. He decided to use the DSLR's lenses to look for familiar faces in the crowd. "Finny! Come on, Hank Green just got here!" Jack said as he was approaching his twin. But Finn was too busy to hear him. He was bent on his camera's screen, staring on it like a weirdo. "Come on, mate!" he said as he placed hand on his twin's shoulder.

"Hey Jack, look!" Finn handed the 7D to Jack, showing him the photo he just took just a few seconds ago. It was zoomed on a tiny face on the screen which was so small it was almost just a blur. "What is this?" be asked, baffled by what he saw. "Look at it closely!" his twin said. He toggled a few buttons to zoom out and zoom in again and tried to put it into focus. As the photo pixelized and cleared, Jack made out the honey highlighted brown head, the squinty eyes, and the pinkish lips that encased a pretty smile. The shape of her face was outlined well with her bright pink cheeks that reminded him of the cheeks he enjoyed pinching. He squinted and held the camera farther from him to see the whole picture. "Is this...?"

"It looks like Casey!"

"Yeah it does!" Jack said. "But that's impossible, there are no tickets left..." he added as he gave the camera back to Finn. _She would have told me she was here. _Instinctively, he took his iPhone from his pocket and called Casey. "Is it ringing?" Finn asked and Jack nodded. The other twin looked out of the window again and watched the girl beside the stage whom he assumed was Casey. "She's not answering," Jack said as he stood beside his twin looking out the window too. Finn pointed to the girl he suspected was their friend when suddenly, two security guys approached her and asked her to come up the stage. The crowd went wild. "Good Lord, what just happened?! Who's on stage?" Jack said his eyes widening at what he just saw.

"I think it's Carrie."

"Jesus Christ..."

* * *

"Alright I think some of you may remember that a few months back I made a video with this girl and since then we became really close friends. And by close friends I mean we text each other every single day!" Casey appeared on the side of stage, her eyes bright and disbelieving. She had her camera on her hand pointed to the crowd, recording as she came towards Carrie while holding a microphone. "Oh my god!" she mouthed and the crowd cheered. "Alright would you like to introduce yourself?" Carrie said, smiling broadly. Like the professional host that she was, Casey kicked in with her own intro. "Hey guys!" she said pausing for screams. "My name is Casey, I'm a part time host, shower singer, life coach and sometimes I like posting stuff on a YouTube channel called TheFreeCasey!" The crowd went wild but she couldn't see a thing. Though she was nervous as hell, being on stage with Carrie felt as free as a bungee jumping adventure. _Exhilaratingly scary._ She heard a loud "We love you Casey!" from the abyss of people. "Oh my god, I love you too!"

"Now, in case you don't know, Casey is an American and you may remember her from her video appearance on JacksGap..." The audience went ballistic. "Oh god," Casey muttered said, giggling like a kid. "I think we have a lot of Gappers here!" she added, and they heard them say "Yes!" She giggled again. "That's great... Well, I'm not actually an official guest here, see?" she said raising the light blue pass made of paper and plastic dangling from her neck. It was very different from Carrie's dark blue, hard plastic pass. "I came here, just like all of you, because I'm a big fan of talented YouTubers like Carrie!" Carrie proudly smiled. "She's here on stage because she loves me," she added and they both laughed. "So for my last song, Casey and I are going to sing something that we've been meaning to make a video about but which we haven't had time to do. Now I want all of you to open your cell phones and take a video of this because I want to see and hear this afterwards so will I be expecting all of your uploads?" Carrie paused and she was met with a loud "Yes!" Carrie started counting to three and they both sang in harmony.

***Isn't she lovely... Isn't she wonderful... Isn't she precious... Less than one minute old. I never thought through love we'd be making one as lively as she... But isn't she lovely made from love…***

Carrie tapped on her guitar thrice and strummed. As they continued singing, Casey started losing herself in their harmony. She didn't even notice how some of the girls on the side of the stage squealed in surprise. They saw a face peeking from the backstage that looked really familiar. "Jack!" they cried. But Casey couldn't hear them even until the song ended. "Thank you guys so much, have a great day ahead. We love you!" Carrie called out. "Thank you!" Casey said. They both waved to people as they left the microphone stands and raised their pinkies in the air, smiling broadly. They rushed to the backstage, giggling as they entered the black curtains that covered the space behind the stage and the big, red swinging doors that led to the back rooms of the venue. As Casey and Carrie pushed the doors, Jack and Finn popped out of nowhere and scared Casey.

"What the fuck?!" she said after letting out a piercing scream and realizing that the twins have found her all along. "I am so mad at you! Why did you turn me down when you were planning on coming all along!" Jack said once the laughter died down. "I don't want to hassle you!" Casey answered. "Oh come on, you're not a hassle!" Finn said. The four walked the hallways to get back to the green room. Casey glanced at the ID that hung from her neck and then to the people she was with. _Jeez, this is like wearing a VIP pass. _"So Casey, how are you feeling about finally meeting Dan?" Carrie asked out of nowhere and the two girls giggled. The twins got confused. "Oh my god, I don't know!" Casey answered, laughing. "What do you mean?" Jack asked. Carrie looked at Jack, her eyes wide with surprise with the fact that he didn't know Casey's secret. "She has a massive crush on Dan Howell!" Carrie blurted and Casey went red instantly. "No! Why did you do that!? They'll just tease me every freaking time!" But Carrie just laughed. She looked at Jack whose reaction was unreadable and tried to suppress her giggles as they neared the green room.

As the four of them reached the stairs that led to the mezzanine floor, Casey gasped and stopped walking. Finn, who was tweeting while walking behind Casey bumped into her. Jack looked behind him and stared at Casey's reddening face. _What the hell is wrong with her?! _"Dan!" Carrie called out. Casey's heart bounced inside her chest like a beach ball because as Carrie took her hand and led her up the stairs, a familiar, dimpled face turned to her and smiled.

###


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28: Feelings On Fire**

Casey took her time as she went up the stairs with Carrie. Every step sent her heart hammering. She can feel every one's eyes on her. _Oh god please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip. _As her open toed heels landed on the last step, she looked back and saw Finn staring at her, his face plastered with a sly smile and his arms crossed on his chest. "Dan, have you met Casey? She's a YouTuber too!" She looked up to the dashing dimpled guy who looked at her with a smile and then back to Carrie. "Not yet!" Dan said addressing Carrie's question. He turned to Casey and extended a hand. "Hello, how are you?" She took his hand and shook it, her heart melting like an ice cream. "Hi, I'm good!"

"Oh Casey, this is Phil and PJ" Carrie said noticing how Dan's two friends have been watching Casey. She reluctantly let go of Dan's hand to shake Phil's and PJ's. _Holy lord, I can't believe this! _"Nice meeting you! You seem to be wearing the wrong pass!" Phil said looking at Casey's long tag which hung from her neck to her chest. Dan, who was following Phil's gaze, immediately elbowed him but Casey didn't seem to notice. "Oh no, I'm not on the guest list I just came here as a fan" Casey said flashing them a very wide smile. "A fan of whom Casey?" Jack asked loudly, his voice booming in her ears as he stood beside her. She looked up at his naughty smile and gave him a menacing stare but flashed a sweet smile afterwards. "A fan of yours, of course!" Casey said faking a laugh, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "You know how much I love your weird, annoying channel, right?"

"Oh stop it, you!" Jack answered, his face distorted with a humorous derpy face. Casey felt Jack's arm snaking over her shoulders as he put an arm around her. It gave her a sudden chill. She watched as Dan laughed awkwardly, his dimples deepening with his brilliant smile. "Hey, how are you guys?" Finn greeted as he stepped behind his twin brother which resulted to awkward bits and pieces of greetings among them. "What were you doing out here?" Carrie asked the three boys, breaking the ice.

"Oh, we were waiting for Chris! We're about to do some interview thingy and he is literally running late!" Dan said, looking at his watch. Casey couldn't help but watch every move Dan makes. His porcelain skin was almost shining in the sun and she just couldn't help but smile. She didn't even care that PJ and Phil were watching her as she blatantly adored their friend just a few inches away. "Oh, there he is!" Phil announced. They all looked down to Chris who was sweating profusely from the heat and the rush. He waved for the three to come down as a big, muscular security guy opened the door for him. "Excuse us while we kill Chris for a while. It was nice meeting you!" Dan said, flashing Casey a smile and extending a hand to her again. Casey blinked as she was dragged away from her mooning. She took Dan's hand and said, "Nice meeting you too, Daniel..." She caught a whiff of his sweet cologne as he passed by which sent her reeling that she didn't even notice Phil saying goodbye to her. Carrie looked back at Casey who watched as Dan met Chris by the door and left. "Did you just call him Daniel?!" Carrie ask, making Casey's eyes widen. She covered her face with her two hands. "Holy shit, what the fuck did I just do?! What did I say?! Oh my god this is so embarrassing!"

"You said 'Nice to meet you, Daniel!' Jesus, did you see his face?! He was sooo creeped out!" Carrie said which made all of them laugh. "Oh god, I would never want to see him again today. That awkward moment was enough!" Casey said as the four of them went inside the green room, laughing.

* * *

Because Jack and Finn introduced her to the organizers of SITC, she immediately got a special pass and was even tasked to help host a couple of panels and meet and greets. Hell, she even got a shirt for tomorrow's sessions. _Why the fuck am I doing this? This is exactly what I didn't want to happen... _What's so special about YouTube gatherings, Casey found out, was the built in after party where every British creator was allowed to get drunk and dance like a maniac. She tried to ignore the pain in her head as she downed another martini. She had too many things to think about, one of which was the fact that she had nowhere to go after the party. She looked around her. The dance floor was undulating with people rocking to the sound of One Direction. She can see Jack with his camera, vlogging around with Louis, who seem to be the only sober YouTuber in the room. She can see Finn dancing with Mazz and Marcus and she knew instantly that he was getting way more tipsy than he's supposed to be. Carrie left early that day so she didn't have anyone to wallflower with. She decided to leave the room instead.

Casey took out her phone and dialed Ken's number. He's been texting her the whole day but all she has managed was a few replies, explaining that she wasn't at home. _I hope he's still awake. I could probably stay at his apartment. _Ken's phone rang and rang but he didn't pick up. With the alcohol swimming in her body, she decided to take a walk away from the West Hall which was where the party was held to the Bar and Kitchen for some peace and quiet. As she sat down the bar stool to order something to eat and drink, the bartender reminded her that they will be closing in less than an hour. "Give me anything that can en eaten quickly, then" she asked. "Oh and a glass of ice cold water please."

Drumming her fingers on the wooden counter, she tried dialing Ken's number again. "Hello? Casey?" a groggy voice answered. "It's almost midnight, where the fuck are you?!" Ken asked. Casey could hear a bit of rustling and a small whiny sound in the background which he tried to shush. _Oh god... _"Am I interrupting something?" Casey asked with a loud sigh. "No, where are you?!"

"Listen, I'm in London right now. I'm with Jack and Finn in this YouTube event in Alexandra Palace and I have nowhere to stay tonight. I don't even have clothes! Can I please stay at your apartment in Central London?"

"What?! How am I supposed to give you the key?"

"I don't know, Ken... Can you call the manager of the apartment or the receptionist? They may have a spare key or something."

"Are you crazy, we don't have spare keys, we don't want to get robbed! Why don't you just stay with the twins, they have an apartment!"

"I can't, Ken..."

"Why not?"

"Because I..." Casey paused for a while and tried to think of a logical way to explain her brooding ego. "I just can't... I don't want them to think I'm just using them or something." Casey heard a sharp sigh on the other end of the line. "Case, listen to me. You have to stop treating them like A-List celebrities and start thinking of them as your friends. Real friends." Casey stared blankly on the far side of the bar. _He's totally right... _"Case, I need to go. You be careful, okay? And text me where you are," Ken said. She bid him goodnight and promised to update him. As she closed the call, she realized that the person on the far side of the room had been staring at her while she gazed at the wall behind him blankly. She blinked and realized that it wasn't just any guy. Her heart stopped.

Without even thinking, Casey took her glass of water and her little plate of sandwich and approached the man with a smile. "Hi Dan! Remember me?" she asked, her heart beating fast again as she stood there in front of him.

###


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29: Up Close And Personal**

_Oh god, I hope he remembers me. I will die of shame right now of he doesn't. _"Oh you're Carrie's friend!" She let out a half sigh and a half moan, rolled her eyes and gave him a sweet smile. "I'm Casey. We met just a few hours ago…"

"Right, Casey!" Dan shook his head and hit it with the palm of his hand."Oh god, I'm so sorry... I met so many people today so all the names are jumbled in my head right now."

"That's okay... Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead!" Dan said. He moved a few inches to the right of the leather couch he was sitting on and took his Macbook with him while Casey sat and set down her food on the table. "I was actually thinking that I may have met you today but I couldn't remember until you came over" Dan said, half laughing. Casey couldn't help but giggle too. "I'm sorry if it looks like I was staring at you from afar I was just really, absent-mindedly, staring at the wall behind you." The both looked back to the wall behind them and laughed. "So that explains your weird, I-may-have-seen-a-unicorn face..." Dan said, facing his Macbook again. "What?!" Casey said, confused but laughing. "Don't mind me, I am so weird" he shot back and the two laughed. Slowly, the knots on Casey's stomach unraveled like a ribbon. Dan Howell was a very good conversationalist, despite his awkward moments. And if it wasn't for the fact that she had just met him, officially, that is, she would have concluded that she's falling into a sweet infatuation at that very moment.

Casey took another bite on her sandwich and took a glimpse over Dan's shoulder. "What are you doing?" she asked once she finished chewing and swallowing her grilled cheese sandwich. "I'm uploading my new video but it's taking forever..." Dan said, rolling his eyes, his voice filling with exasperation. "Did you know I've been here since 9 PM and it's still on 67%? The Wi-Fi here is horrendous." Dan complained. It hit her like a rock in the head. "Hey I have a pretty fast hotspot on my iPhone, do you want to try connecting to it?" she asked, showing him her rubber-clad Apple phone. "Believe me, I would try anything just to get this fucking video posted now," Dan said breathing a sigh of relief. He paused the upload for a while and Casey immediately went to her settings.

Caseyisonfire.

_Holy shit! What the fuck was I thinking?! _Before enabling her settings, Casey immediately changed her hotspot name to TheFreeCasey. "Do you see it now?" she asked breathing heavily after her surge of panic. "Yeah, it's TheFreeCasey right? What's your password?" Dan asked, mischief forming in his eyes. "Now, don't you worry I won't hack your profiles. I know the password is most probably the same password you use for everything on the Internet." Casey laughed in response and looked at Dan's grinning face. "Well, yes, but even if you do know my password I don't think you'd find anything about my life that's worth breaking into" she said. She reached over to his laptop and typed in her password, letting Dan see it in full view. "August201991, is that your birthday?"

"Yup!" Casey said, hitting Enter on the keyboard. Dan's Macbook successfully connected to her iPhone and they cheered when they saw the bar moving from 67% to 69%. As they waited, the two talked about Casey's channels and her plans about it. To Casey it almost felt like she was being interviewed by the part time DJ before her on his Radio 1 program. It wasn't just fun, it was liberating talking to someone as knowledgeable as Dan. To be fair, he's been YouTubing for more than 6 years. "Have you ever thought of doing a music video?" he asked her. "I have, actually, but I haven't really thought of anything specific. I have plans but they're very hard to act on." Casey answered. She thought about the countless hours she practiced lip synching on the mirror, trying not to look derpy, but she hated every bit of it. "You know I have this feeling that if you try to make music videos, you'll gain more subscribers. It's the same thing I've noticed with other YouTubers over the years. Playing a guitar in front of a camera is something, but adding some great visuals to a sultry voice takes that something to a whole new level..." Dan explained, his hands moving as he looked at her. Casey couldn't help but sigh. "Really? I don't know, I've been trying to do it in front of a mirror but so far the only art I can see in it bears the word stupid." Dan chuckled, which somehow tickled Casey's inside. "No, you have to get someone to produce the video for you! You need a director and a camera man to keep you focused on acting instead of what your face would look like," Dan explained, a pretty smile plastered on his face. Despite the ultimate distraction that is his smile, Casey pondered on the thought that Dan just left her. "That actually makes a lot of sense... But the problem is, I don't know anyone who can direct or produce my videos. It's just me."

"Well, how about Jack? He's a darn good filmmaker and he's got all the equipment you will ever need. I'm pretty sure he can help you!" Dan said as he closed his Macbook on the table. But before Casey can protest, her iPhone rang. She looked at the screen and grumbled at the sight of the caller's name. "Speaking of the devil... Hello?"

"CC, where the fuck are you?" Jack said, almost screaming because of the loud party music behind him. "I'm at the Bar, Jack. Will you stop screaming at me?!" she said as she pulled the phone from her ear. She rolled her eyes and tried to comprehend Jack while Dan talked to the waiter who told them that the bar was about to close. "Hey, Jack, I really don't understand what you're saying right now so why don't you just get out of there and meet me in the lobby, alright? I'll see you!" With a loud sigh, she took down the phone from her phone and faced Dan. "It's Jack, he's looking for me now. How's your video?"

"Oh, it's live now! Thank you SO much," he said as they got up from the couch. "I am now indebted to you because you saved me from my impending death from Dangirls" he said dramatically. "So, if there's anything I can do right now..." Casey laughed as they went out of the Bar and Kitchen. "Well, for starters you can follow me back on Twitter!" Casey joked as they neared the lobby. Dan laughed, dimples deepening as his pink lips revealed his perfect white teeth. _Jesus Christ, this is perfection right before my eyes. _"Alright, I will hunt you down on Twitterverse and stalk you there." Dan said.

"Please do, or you can always hack my account since you know my password" she said, giggling like a kid. Out of the blue, Casey heard her name across the lobby. She peered over Dan's shoulder and saw Jack walking towards them with Finn lumbering beside him, his head hanging down like a ball. "Jesus Christ, what happened to Finn?" Casey said as Jack neared them. Dan turned to see just what Casey was talking about. She's never seen Finn so out of control. He was walking slowly, his arm positioned on Jack's shoulder casually, though Casey knew that Jack was supporting him with his whole arm from behind. "Woah, I think you need to get Finn home right now. Hey Jack!" Dan said waving at the sober twin. "Hey Dan, uhmmm... I think Finn has had too much to drink," Jack said as he supported his lookalike who was smiling like a fool, showing off the laugh lines by his eyes. "Hey Caseeey!" Finn greeted. He lunged to her, hugged her and gave her a slobbering kiss in the cheek. "Okaaay Finn, nice to see you too! Let's get you home, shall we?" Casey signaled to Jack who supported Finn so he could stand upright. "Dan, we'll go ahead now! See you around!" Casey said, smiling and waving as she followed the twins out. Jack didn't know if it was Finn or Casey who annoyed him more. He just rolled his eyes and took out the keys of their Mini Cooper from his pocket. "Oh Casey, advance happy birthday!" Dan said as he waved and smiled back.

"Thank you!" Casey called out. But as she went passed the doors, she bumped into Jack who stopped in the middle of the doorway to look back at Casey. "What's he talking about? When's your birthday?"

"Happy birthday CC!" Finn said, lunging towards Casey again. "Woah, Finn!"

###


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30: The New Apartment**

"Oh my god, Finn, you are so hammered! What did you drink?!" Casey asked, laughing. "I'm not sure..." Finn blubbered as he sprawled at the back of the Mini Cooper. His limbs were still too long for the small car. _Sometimes I wonder why these big guys keep driving such a small car as this... _"Finn, hey, Finn! Put on your seat belt, you might bang your head in there something," she said as she fumbled with her own seat belt. "I can't find my seat belt!" Finn hollered and Casey couldn't help but laugh at him. "Shut up, Finny! Jesus, I don't know what Caspar gave him but he's never been this drunk before!" Jack threw his coat at Finn and started driving. "Hey Finn!" Casey called out again, to which Finn responded to with an inaudible moan. "Do you want some water? I think you need water to sober up a little..." She took the bottle of water which she bought that morning while waiting in line. "Here," she tossed it over to Finn and it landed on the seat beside him. He took it and looked at it curiously.

"So how was the party?" Casey asked Jack whose brows were furrowed while weaving through London's early morning traffic. "It was good until I realized you weren't there so I had to look for you everywhere. Then I came back because I couldn't find you and when I did, Finn was so wasted by the bar and now here we are!" Casey stared at Jack's tired face. _God, is he really mad at me?! _"Hey Jack?" she whispered after about a minute of silence between them. "What?" He didn't take his eyes off the road. "I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me..." The voice that came out of her was surprisingly tiny. She breathed deeply and stared at Finn who was smiling at her from the rearview mirror. She smiled back and then turned to Jack. "Hey," her hand instantly flew to his knee. "I said I'm sorry..." she asked.

"Wha- Where have you been? I want to know. And why did you leave? And most importantly, why didn't you tell me that you wanted to come? I could have spared you the long hours of falling in line, you could have been mobbed by fans out there... Why?!" Casey felt Jack's exasperation and wasn't able to speak. "Jackamo, calm down..." It was Finn, drawling the words out of his thin, pink lips. He leaned towards the back of Casey's seat and touched her cheek. Casey turned to Finn and smiled weakly. "You be careful, okay?" Casey nodded. She could still smell the alcohol in his breath just inches away from her face. "You're so pretty, CC..." He added grinning widely like a little kid which, despite Jack's sour mood, made Casey chuckle. "Would it be okay to stay with you guys tonight?" She asked Finn who was still grinning at her. "Of course you can!" Finn answered groggily. He yawned as he sat back to his seat, smiling at her though his green eyes are falling.

Fortunately, Finn was a bit more sober when they arrived at their new apartment. It was a two bedroom loft in central London and Casey found out that it was just a block away from Ken's apartment. It was getting cold outside and Casey's starting to regret why she didn't bring a coat. She opened the door for Finn who was scrambling to get out because he was so sleepy. Then she felt a warm wool covering her shoulders and two strong hands weaving through her hair to free it from the coat. She felt those hands leave her as Jack went ahead of them and into the apartment.

* * *

"Finn, stop it!" Casey said her voice laced with annoyance though she knew she couldn't get mad at him for kissing her cheek over and over again. She followed Jack through the door of the new apartment, leading Finn whose arm was on her shoulders. "Where's your room?" Casey asked Finn as she looked around their new space. "It's upstairs!" he answered excitedly pointing at the mezzanine floor of the apartment. As they went up the spiral stairs, Casey couldn't help but marvel at the minimalist design of their new place. The whole space was covered in white paint. Even the furnishings and counter tops were sparkling white. It was a clean, spacious nest for two boys who has never left home until now and Casey was impressed. Finn removed his arm from Casey's shoulders and went towards the door to the left. Casey saw that the door to the right was wide open. _Must be Jack's room..._ She trailed behind Finn who left his door open for her.

"Nice bedroom!" Casey said while closing the door and scanning Finn's new room. It was tastefully scant, to say the least. The only furnishings he had was a big bed with a Union Jack cover, a closet full of his clothes, a desk with all his gadgets in it, a few posters he designed himself, a swivel chair and a bookshelf, all in different hues of white. "It's very empty, though." Finn commented as he flopped down to his bed. "It's not that empty," Casey answered. "You have a big bed to fill it with, anyway." Finn chuckled in response as Casey sat beside him on his bed. She watched him as he rubbed his temples, his thumb and forefinger meeting at the center of his forehead, his eyes closed. _Why the hell did I drink all those tequila shots?_ "Finny," Casey said, her voice pouring out like honey as she watched this glorious being. His hands were on his shirt, popping the buttons down as he waited for her to say something more. "Yes?" She could almost swear her heart stopped beating when he opened his eyes and caught her watching him. His eyes were goading her, making her breathless for a while. She broke eye contact with him and tried to look somewhere else. "CC?" Finn said, his voice deeper than his usual. "Yeah?" she said, sighing loudly. She looked back at him, his shirt was half undone. "I thought you were going to say something..." Casey smiled at him sweetly and tried hard not to swoon. Finn smiled back, his laugh lines showing beautifully on the corners of his eyes. She took a deep breath. "Can I sleep here with you tonight?"

Finn giggled and sat upright on his bed. "You want to sleep here?" She nodded, gazing at his dark green eyes that seemed to pierce through her body. "I thought you wanted to sleep with Jack?" Finn said, surprising Casey. "In case you were too drunk to remember, Jack's still mad at me for coming to SITC on my own." He sensed her frustration towards his adamant twin and he knew he couldn't argue with her on it. Jack had the temperament of a child. He doesn't like saying he's sorry and when he's mad he has to be petted like a dog just to be forgiven. "Also, Finny, I don't have any clothes... So can I borrow one of your shirts?" Finn laughed and took off his own shirt which now draped from him like a curtain and threw it playfully at her. It made Casey laugh like a kid, a sound he always enjoyed hearing. "Hey, you..." He pulled Casey by her chin and moved closer to her.

Casey's heart almost jumped as her brown eyes met the green ones she loved and hated seeing. Those dark green emeralds always make her feel like she's being hypnotized. She stared back and blinked fast. _Why the heck is he leaning in on me?! What?! _"We've done a lot of favors for you today," Finn said touching her nose with his forefinger, his lips forming a nice curve on his face. She smiled and looked away from the dancing green orbs that are closing in on her. "I know... But you didn't have to do those..." she answered, suddenly guilty again. "Of course we do, you're our friend!" Finn answered trying to catch Casey's eye again. He can still feel the tequila and the beer swimming in his veins. He felt rather hot but tried not to mind it and instead blamed the alcohol settling in his tummy. He can feel something pulling his body towards hers as she sat there frigid, staring at him. "If I let you sleep here will you let me kiss you?" He was inches away from her face. He can feel her gasping for air like she was drowning in a pool of water.

Then she chuckled lightly and pointed a finger to his nose. "You've had a lot of drinks tonight, Finny. You need to go to sleep." He laughed lightly, his breath grazing her face like a warm summer breeze. "You're tired, you need to go to sleep too!" He looked into her brown eyes and saw trouble brewing. Despite her smiling face, he knew she was as confused as he was as to why he wanted a kiss. _Just one. I just need to know if this is what I think it is, Casey…_

He moved towards her and Casey instinctively leaned away from him. Her eyes never left his. _What are you doing, Finn? _But he couldn't back down. She knew he won't back down. His hand reached for her waist, pulling her close. His other hand cupped her chin and held it a bit higher for him. As he neared, he can feel her trembling in his hands. "Close your eyes..." He drawled, not knowing exactly if it was really him who muttered those words. He saw her lids fall and he closed his eyes as he leaned towards her. He felt her give up, the tension in her shoulders finally collapsing. As his lips landed on hers, he heard her sigh.

###


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31: Right Side of the Wrong Bed**

Casey woke up that morning feeling heavy as a brick. She took her phone from the bedside table and checked the time. It was almost 7AM. She looked around her and realized where she is. _Finn... _It all came back to her; his soft lips, her heart hammering inside her, her own breathing giving away as he held her close. She looked down and saw the mess of her legs and his. She was wearing his University of Leeds shirt and her matching intimates underneath. _Jesus Christ, what was I thinking? _And then she remembered that she didn't have any clothes with her. She sighed and tried to move Finn's arm which was draped around her waist. Gently, she moved away from him and sat up on the bed. She watched him breathing peacefully in his t-shirt and animal printed pajamas and the sight of it all made her smile. _He's such a kid... And he's a Spooner! Jack's more of a Cuddler, from what I remember... Well it all makes sense..._

She knew she could have easily said no. It was, after all, bound to be an awkward situation. She could have slept with Jack and the kissing would not have happened. But she still went for it, and in the end they just laughed, changed their clothes and spooned until they fell asleep. It was an act of validation, that she knew. She didn't know just what they have proven after that kiss but at some point she knew that they both felt validated. She stood up, went to the bathroom and washed her face, leaving a sleeping Finn behind.

* * *

Jack was having his usual breakfast: Maoams, porridge, sugar, Maoams and more porridge. The circles under his eyes could speak for itself. He couldn't sleep well last night, for no apparent reason. _I'll just have to categorize it under 'too much sugar' again... _He heard tiny footsteps nearing him. He looked up, his spoonful of Maoam porridge suspended in the air, his mouth hanging open. He watched and followed with his green eyes as Casey walked past him, towards the refrigerator, in nothing but Finn's uni shirt. He looked at her from head to feet and felt something stir up in him. _Oh god, Jack, hold your horses... _He tried not to look but when he took another glimpse, he caught her bending down to retrieve a bottle of water._ DON'T! Oh god... Oh my, she wearing lace again... Jesus, Jack! _She sat beside him with her bottle of water, unnerved. Then she looked at him, her tousled hair looking sexy as hell. She siddled beside him and brushed against his side as her arms reached towards him. Jack looked at her and felt a small heart attack forming in his chest as she neared. But it stopped when he realized that she was just reaching for the jar of Maoams beside him. _Ugh, damn it! _He tried finishing his porridge without speaking but found it hard to concentrate because Casey's bare foot was grazing the skin of his leg. "Hey," Casey said while chewing a Maoam. "JJ?"

"What?!" He was sure that Finn didn't take advantage of her. After all, he was a true Englishman. What annoyed him the most is the glaring fact that Finn, just like him, had seen Casey in her two most vulnerable states: asleep and almost naked. "Why are you still mad at me?! I said I'm sorry!" she moaned, her voice thinning into a child's cry. "Because..." Jack wanted to get into a full blown argument, especially since he's been keeping it to himself since last night. The problem is that he can't keep his thoughts straight because his eyes are straying towards Casey's legs which showed under the short t-shirt his brother lent her. "You never listen to me! Why don't you ever listen to me?! And why are you wearing that around here, this is a men's apartment!" Jack's cheeks were turning red and his brows met in the middle of his forehead. He was making his complaining, grumpy face again. "I don't have anything to wear, JJ, I didn't bring any clothes with me. Besides, what are you so anxious about? You've seen exactly what's underneath this and from what I remember, you can recite the details of my underwear the first time we've met like it was a grocery list!" Casey said, her words pouring out of her mouth like water to a glass. Jack's face, meanwhile, was a mess of unreadable signals. His eyes showed his great confusion, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and the corners of his mouth were turned up in amusement. And then he suddenly laughed, which made Casey laugh too. "Okay, you're right! But I'm just saying, you're in a flat with two gentlemen, you should at least wear something decent!"

"I told you, I don't have anything decent to wear!"

"Okay, that's it. I'm taking you shopping. Go find Finn's uni track pants. I'll get dressed and we'll find you something."

* * *

Day 2 of SITC was a blur of events for Casey, Jack and Finn. Jack and Finn were scheduled to have a formal meet and greet that day in the iconic Panorama Room. The organizers asked Casey to assist the twins by hosting the event. And though she's never hosted a meet and greet before, many of the SITC organizers lauded her ability to control even the most uncontrollable, sobbing, screaming fangirl. "It takes a fangirl to control a fangirl" she said. It wasn't an easy ordeal, though. There were so many people who wanted to see the twins that the room was jam packed even after the meet and greet hours. As the event came to a close, a mixture of young boys and girls formed a circle around her and asked for a hug, a picture, an autograph, a voice message recording, a song, a kiss on the cheek, a Twitter shout out, a phone call and even a tip for hair styling and make-up. She was so busy entertaining the same people Jack and Finn entertained that when she heard Finn's voice calling her, they were almost out the door. She hurriedly excused herself and followed the two but she lost them in a sea of fans who even followed them as they went out of the venue. Casey was left on her own, scrambling to get out of the mass of bodies that keep screaming their names.

"Excuse me! Oh god, please let me through... Excuse me!" Then she saw a little opening between two girls. She ducked into the crack, fell out of the wall of girls and found herself on all fours on the floor. "Jesus Christ! Ya'll are crazy!" She muttered under get breath as she stood up and dusted her bare knees which were exposed through the rips of her new Gap jeans. _Note to self, tattered jeans are a bad idea at YouTube conventions. Why did I let Jack pick my clothes for me?! _She started limping away, her eyes never leaving her knee which had a very big bleeding gash on it from grazing the rough patch of tiles she fell on. "Casey?" she looked up to find two brown eyes gazing at her. "Casey! Are you alright? What happened to your knee?" For a while Casey felt speechless. "I- I-" she stuttered as Dan Howell squatted in front her and leveled his face to her knee. She watched his short, disheveled, brown hair from above. _To be honest I like his short hair better! _She was startled when he suddenly looked up to her, his beautiful almond eyes filled with concern. "You do realize that you are actually bleeding through your pants?" he said as he stood up. "What?!" They both looked at her knee where her own blood was starting to smear on the frays of her new pants. "Okay, let's just bring you to the medics before your pants turn red." He placed his arm around Casey's waist and helped her as she limped towards the exit.

* * *

"Hello? Jack, yeah. Casey's with me and she's badly injured. We're at the medic tent right now... Yeah, alright... We'll see you here then." Casey couldn't help but roll her eyes as she took the sandwich Dan handed to her. "Why did you have to call Jack?! Also, I am not badly injured... I was just... Brushing up on my cement swimming skills." Dan laughed and she felt her heart constrict. She took a bite from her ham sandwich and smiled to herself as Dan Howell took a seat beside her. _How fucking cool is it that Dan bought me a sandwich and is now looking after me?! _"Nice pants, by the way!" he said, smiling as he fixed his hair. She grinned at him and then looked at her newly bought outfit. She must admit Jack's 'It looks good on your ass' rule of thumb when buying jeans was worth it. To make her more comfortable walking around SITC, Jack also took her to his favorite Converse store and bought her a new pair of shoes. _"_Actually," she said as she played with the fringes of her tattered jeans. "Jack bought this for me this morning because I didn't have any clothes with me."

She tore through the sandwich again with her teeth, her ferocious hunger getting the best of her. Dan just smiled in amusement. _She eats like a hungry boy and she'll eat anything! Now I see why they like her... _"Does this mean that the Jasey ship is starting to go canon?" Casey just looked at him with a very puzzled face. She couldn't speak because of the mouthful of food she was chewing but her face clearly read: 'What the fuck?!' Dan chuckled. "I'm assuming you don't know what a canon is?" he said and Casey nodded in response. "Okay, a canon is the stage the goes right after being shipped. When your OTP- of course you know what OTP is?" Casey nodded again. "Good, when your OTP becomes a real life couple, they become a canon. So in fandom hierarchy, the ship turns to an OTP for someone and an OTP could turn into a canon, if you're lucky!" Casey swallowed what remained in her mouth and said, "In that case, no one's getting lucky, because we're not a canon." _Because I ship us soooooo hard…_

"Well that's sad for me because I definitely ship you and Jack!" Casey's eyes widened in mock horror which made Dan laugh and in turn made her laugh. As Casey finished her sandwich, she saw Jack striding towards them wearing his usual sunglasses, white shirt and jeans. "Oh god, here's the King of Annoying." Dan turned around and waved to Jack who waved back as he got nearer. "What happened?!" he said, worry etched on his face as he took off his sunglasses and stood in front of Casey. "Oh, she dove to the floor because she's practicing her cement swimming skills," Dan explained casually, without so much as a chuckle. Jack shook his head and went down on one knee to inspect Casey's wound. "CC, I told you there's a time and place for everything! You could have at least waited until we got home!" he lifted the white gauze on Casey's knee and saw a deep, long scrape that is now covered in a brownish medicine. "Oh Jesus, this is bigger than I thought."

"Where's Finn?" Casey asked as Jack stood up and put on his sunglasses again. "He took the car, he's waiting for us. Come on, CC. Can you stand up?"

"It hurts a bit, wait, where are we going?"

"We're bringing you home to Bristol, come on."

"What?!"

"Oh for Chrissake, just come with me..." And in a swift moment, Jack stood beside Casey, swooped down and carried her. "Ow! Jackson, put me down!"

"Thanks for taking care of this clutz, mate!"

"That's alright! I'll see you both soon! Oh and Casey?" Dan called out. Casey stopped wriggling in Jack's arms and turned to Dan. "Don't swim on cement again," Casey couldn't help but giggle. "Take care!" he added as he stood up and ruffled her hair. He bid Jack a short goodbye and left. Casey was trapped . As Jack's toned arms lifted her higher, his arms carrying her behind her leg and on her back, she felt her heart race and her body going numb. But her arms seemed a have a life of its own. Without even a conscious effort, Casey's arms encircled Jack's neck perfectly, like how a bride would her new husband while the wedding bells rang. Jack's long legs strode towards the car park where a familiar car emerged, Casey grew more and more weary, her body giving up after a tough day. Her head fell on Jack's chest, feeling like a lightweight. "That's right, observe my chest" Jack said, smiling ever so slightly as he carried Casey.

###


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32: Worst Birthday Ever?**

On the day she turned 22, Casey was grounded by her father and was stuck at home, unable to even check her emails. So on the morning of August 20th, she was buried in pillows and stuffed toys, re-reading Pride and Prejudice, her AC whirring in the background. But she wasn't really reading. She was contemplating why her dad suddenly decided to be the most unreasonable parent in the world by confiscating her phone and her laptop and ordering her never to get out of the house for two days. "Casey, you can't just waltz out of my house and be gone in two days without even calling me! I'm your father, I was worried about you!" he said. What's more, he told Jack and Finn how disappointed he was because he thought they were good influences to her daughter. "Dad, it's not their fault, I went there by myself!" she answered but he didn't listen. He asked the twins to leave, despite knowing that they had to drive for two long hours that night, and told her to go to her room and never leave until she's told so.

_He totally overreacted. I mean, I left him a note and told him where I'll be! It's not like I eloped with Finn... Or Jack... I wonder if they got my voicemail... Oh god, I hope they saw their answering machine when they got home. Oh shoot, I didn't tell Ken that I'm grounded! _Casey put down her book and stared at her ceiling. There's just so many things running through her mind. The past three days had been a whirlwind of new experiences and new acquaintances and weird twin moments and overwhelming fan encounters. She couldn't even begin on how to sum it all up. _I wish Ken was here... I need someone... Anyone to talk to... _

"No shit! My camera!"

She literally jumped out of bed, left Lizzy Bennet as her feet landed on the floor and ran towards her drawer. She held her Canon 7D like it was a bottle of water from an oasis in the middle of a hot desert. She took her tripod, opened it up and positioned it near her room's window which was facing her makeshift studio. Casey opened it and invited the sunshine in to provide natural lighting. She opened her camera and did a few test shots before rushing into the bathroom to take a shower, dry and curl her hair and do her make up. "Great, now what do I wear for my birthday video..." She looked around her. _Dress? Pants? Shorts? How about jeggings? _She rummaged for clothes in her closet like she was readying for a party. And as she pulled off a shoe box from the top of her closet, the paper bag that stood beside it fell out and hit her in the head. "Ow! Shit! What the-?" Casey picked up the bag and opened it. In it was a pretty sweetheart cut dress in baby pink which she was very familiar with. She knew that dress because first, she fell in love with it the first time she saw it in the department store in central London; Second, because it was the same dress Jack held up to his body while dancing like a retarded ballerina. She rummaged for the receipt in the bag.

_Card owner's name: Jackson Frayn Harries. _

"Shit! Why did I not see him buy this?!" she said out loud, obviously talking to no one. "Oh fuck it..." With a heavy sigh of annoyance, she walked to the bathroom with the dress in her hand.

* * *

[TAKE ONE]

"Hi there! My name is Casey and I'm overdressed for a vlog!"

[TAKE TWO]

"Hi there!" Casey said and she just smiled. She took a deep breath and looked into the camera, "My name is Casey and this is my YouTube channel!" Her lashes jutted out beautifully and her brown eyes accented by colors of brown and black. She didn't wear her eyeglasses today. She settled for her clear contacts because it was a special day. _It still is a special day. _"Sorry, I'm just... My head is a bit all over the place right now..." she forced a sweet smile.

[JUMPCUT]

"So you may be wondering why I'm a bit overdressed today..." She stood up to show the camera her baby pink dress. She bended down to the camera and said, "I'm not turning this to a beauty channel, don't worry!"

[JUMPCUT]

Casey was back on a medium shot frame and was smiling broadly, her pretty smile encased in pink glossed lips. "I've decided to dress up today, August 20, because it's my 22nd birthday! Yay!"

[JUMPCUT]

Casey was up and about again, dancing to Hollaback Girl at the back of the set in a wide shot.

[JUMPCUT]

"Well technically it's not my birthday anymore once you see this video because I can't upload it yet. Why can't I upload it yet, you ask? Good question! That's because my dad decided to be merciless to me today by grounding me..." Casey paused. "I'm 22 years old by the way."

[JUMPCUT]

"To be fair, my dad has all the reasons to be mad at me. I left home without actually telling him where I'm going or how long I'll be gone. All I did was leave a note on the kitchen counter. And yes, it was very wrong of me, I really did mess it up, but I'm glad to say that being grounded on my birthday is all worth it because I actually got to go to Summer In The City 2013 in the Ally Pally!"

[JUMPCUT]

"It was incredible!" Casey squealed, her face alight with happiness as she recalled everything that happened in the past few days. "I got to meet a lot of Gappers and a lot of you guys who are subscribed to this channel. I suddenly got 20,000 subscribers during that weekend alone. I got to host a few panels. I also got to host Jack and Finn's meet and greet and some of you even gave me advanced birthday gifts!" She held up a paper bag filled with gummy bears, letters, photos, cards and candies. "I also got to perform with Carrie Hope Fletcher onstage and it was such a random moment that I was so surprised when the security asked me to go onstage. Here's a quick clip of that..." she said which was followed by a clip of raging fans as she went out of the backstage at SITC.

[JUMPCUT]

"And you know what else I did while I was there? I fangirled over my favorite British YouTubers! I got to meet Emma Blackery, Hank Green- who isn't a British YouTuber, he's definitely American, he's the other half of Vlogbrothers- Jack and Dean, Chris, Luke, PJ, Phil, BertieBert- who looks soooo dashing in person... Oh and I also got to bond with Marcus, Caspar, Alfie, Louis, Zoe, Joe and Louise. It was absolutely amazing."

[JUMPCUT]

"Also, for those who follow me on Twitter, you would probably know that my ultimate YouTube crush is Dan Howell." Casey took a screenshot of her answer and Tweets about Dan and filled the screen with it. "And the main reason why I went to SITC was really to fangirl over him and a few others... But guess what? I actually spent more time with him than I actually imagined..." She pressed two fingers to her temple and and pretended to shoot her brains out with it.

[JUMPCUT]

"People... I actually became friends with Dan Howell... You wanna know how legit that is?!" Casey whacked a screenshot of Dan's profile that had the Following You tag on the screen. "We're officially friends..."

[JUMPCUT]

"Another very notable thing that happened to me while I was at SITC was when I dove into a sea of fangirls and when I tried to get out I fell and scraped my knee." Casey stood up and showed her now dried up wound on her knee. "Nailed it!"

[JUMPCUT]

"So that happened... I was actually lucky because Dan-"

Knock knock knock knock. Casey almost jumped in surprise. "Dad?!" she asked loudly but the violent raps on the door behind her continued persistently. She stood up in haste to open the door. She didn't even have time to press the button on her camera so it was still rolling when she opened the door.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday!" She almost had a heart attack with Jack and Finn's scream. "Oh my fucking god, you scared the shit out of me! What is happening?!" The twins laughed as they entered the room to hug her. "I'm making a video, you creepers!"

[JUMPCUT]

"Say hi!" Casey said to the twins who sat on either side of her. "Hi there! My name is Finn..."

"...and my name is Jack!"

"And they scared the hell out of me!" Casey added and they all laughed.

[JUMPCUT]

"Okay, now tell me what's happening, why are you here? Because the last time I checked you're in London and you were banned from this house by my dad…" Casey said confused but giggling. "We wanted to surprise you! Because it's your birthday!" Finn said, his sweet smile making her blush like a little girl. "We actually have another surprise for you!" Jack said as Casey turned to him. "Now you're going to have to trust us on this because we are going to bring you somewhere and we're not gonna tell you where because it's a surprise. So guys, we're actually highjacking Casey's vlog right about...now!" Jack explained both to Casey and the camera. Finn rose and produced a handkerchief from his pocket which he used to blindfold Casey. And before she can protest, Jack has taken over the camera while Finn helped Casey stand up.

[JUMPCUT]

Jack held the camera and towards Finn as he was driving. "Right, so we are currently in the mini and we're driving to a top secret location here in Bristol. Casey's sitting at the back..." Finn said and Jack panned towards Casey who was luckily, all dressed up and blindfolded. "Where are we going? Are we there yet?" she asked. "We're not saying anything, Casey..." Jack said in a sing song voice from behind the camera.

[JUMPCUT]

It was a riot of vlogging cameras and blinding lights as Jack, who was holding Casey's camera, and Finn led the birthday girl into a room full of YouTubers and university friends. "Alright, are you ready CC?" Finn asked whispering in her ear. "Where are we?" she asked while Jack was signaling for people to stay quiet as they stood in the center of the room. "You'll find out soon" Finn said. He moved behind Casey and started untying Casey's blindfold while Jack counted silently to three. And as Finn's handkerchief fell from Casey's eyes, everyone in the room shouted "Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my god!" Casey said, covering her mouth as she gaped in disbelief. Her dad came forward with a pink fondant cake and kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry for grounding you on your birthday, honey, but these young lads made me do it! Happy Birthday!" he said and Casey laughed while hugging him. There were so many familiar faces who started crowding around her, singing a birthday song. "Blow your candle, CC..." Finn said his arm wrapped around Casey's waist. He kissed the side of her head and smiled to the camera as Jack moved in front of them and the cake. Casey blew her candle and everyone clapped. As Jack was about to end the video, Casey called him. "Hey..." Jack directed the camera to Casey who was looking to him through the camera's lens. "Thank you..." she said, her sweet smile making his heart stop and then making him grin as he pressed the button.

###


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33: Jack's Proposal**

"So, did you like your birthday surprise?" Finn asked as he walked to the car park with Casey carrying a box filled with gifts. "Of course I did, you sneaky mofo!" Casey answered, giggling like a little girl. She smelled the bouquet of flowers the boys got for her and leaned to the mini with her back against the side of the car. She watched as Finn fumbled for the keys and opened the back door to put down the gifts. "I've never had these much birthday gifts before..." Casey said, her smile never fading. "Really?" Finn said as he closed the door and stood before Casey. He wished she wasn't so contagious, but he can't keep the grin from forming on his face when Casey nodded. His green eyes danced with delight while watching her smell the dozen pink roses he bought that morning. Jack was right when he said it would perfectly match her pink dress. How he guaranteed that she'll be wearing the dress he bought her was still a mystery to Finn. _How does Jack know her so well? Oh god, she looks like a delicious candy right now... _"I can't believe you guys would go so far as make my dad ground me!" She said, laughing heartily. Her perfect teeth shined bright behind her matte, pink lips.

"Yeah, you've got to hand it to Jack, he's a very good director!" Finn said as his left hand reached for a stray hair on the side of Casey's face. It was instinct that told him to tuck the loose hair behind her ear. It was also instinct that made Finn lean towards her with both his hands reaching for the hood of the mini, thus caging her in his arms. She smiled up at him, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his. "Seriously, thanks." He smiled back cheekily at her. "I'm happy to see you smiling like that. It makes you so much prettier." Casey laughed and blushed all at the same time. "Stop it!" she said as she tried to cover her face with the bouquet. If she could put a dollar in a jar for every time her heart constricted while Finn laughed with her, she'd probably be rich by now. "Honestly, you look very beautiful in that dress" he said, his eyes searching hers. "Well this is all thanks to your brother, who's apparently my fairy godfather." They both giggled. Finn remembered that one time when he placed a tiara on Jack's head and glued some fake eyelashes on his lids to make him look like a girl and it made him laugh some more. He watched as Casey's laughter died down with his and stared at her. It was a surprise to see her at the door that afternoon, all dressed up in a pink sweetheart dress and booties. They were expecting to see her in pajamas with a messy hair, as always, but she was apparently ready for her own secret party. "I have a gift for you too..." Finn said out of the blue.

"What is it?" Casey asked. He didn't have anything. He was contemplating on buying her something that morning but Jack insisted on another gift that would come from both of them. He leaned closer to her and with the roses in between them he said, "A birthday kiss?" Casey gaped. _What? Was that a question or a suggestion?!_ He was too close to her, just inches away from her. She stared up to his naturally thin, pink lips which were parted a little. It was coming towards her so slowly that her heart seemed to ache as if it stopped from beating. "Finn... Come on, is this another social experiment?" she said as Finn stopped merely centimeters away from her face. She could almost breathe in his vanilla scent mixing with the smell of the roses in her arms. Finn smiled, and she could almost feel that smile spreading onto her own lips. "I think so?" he answered, still not sure of his own disposition. Casey wanted to break away, but with Finn arms on either side of her and his body almost pressed to her, she had no means of escape. Finn laughed. "I was joking!"

"Jesus, Finn! Don't do that again, it's not funny!" Casey complained. _So close... Oh lord, that was so close! _"Cheeky Finn!" he said, giggling as he moved away from Casey. He leaned back to the car, stood beside her and stretched his arm around Casey's shoulder. "Happy Birthday CC..." he said as he kissed Casey's cheek. "Thanks," she answered sighing. "Finn, can I ask you something?" Finn looked back at her. "What?" She took out her wristlet. Inside it was a pink cigarette keeper which she gave Finn, knowing quite well that, just like her, he was longing for it after a long day of planning, partying and drinking. "Thanks, what do you want to ask?" he said. He placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it using Casey's pink lighter. "I was just wondering..." she said while setting the bouquet down on the hood of the car and taking out a stick for herself. "When we did the social experiment... Did you feel something? Anything?" She stuck the cigarette between her pink, colored lips and lit it. Finn blew a puff of smoke out to the breezy Bristol air and smiled at Casey. "Did you?"

"Well, that's not a very fair answer, is it? I asked first!"

"What kind of feeling are you referring to?"

"Physically? Emotionally?"

"Emotionally, I felt very close to you... Like we shared something special. Physically... I felt attracted to you, and I would have done it again if I could..."

"I thought that was a joke?"

"Jokes are half meant." Casey blew out a puff of smoke and stared at Finn incredulously. "Hey, stop messing with my head, do you want me to not be friends with you anymore?! Jack's going to have to bear with that too!" Now she's definitely annoyed. She just wasn't getting the answers that she needed. "Okay, calm down…" Finn said as he blew another smoke out. "Let's not jump into conclusions." He stood in front of Casey again and looked into her eyes earnestly, just so she knows he's being honest with her. Casey stared back, her cigarette stick lingering between her fingers. "What I mean is that I really like you and at some point I am physically attracted to you..." She blinked as he stared and waited for the worst. "But?" _I am so getting friendzoned. _"But now I'm sure that what we have isn't all about lust… That I like you not just because you're hot or you're pretty…" he said and then he took another drag of his cigarette. Casey, however, just stared back at him, watching as he blew the smoke away from her face. She recounted that cold, hazy night when a very intoxicated Finn asked her for a kiss and she consented by closing her eyes and not saying anything. _Was I stupid for doing that? _"Does that mean you don't like me like that?" Casey took her cigarette and put it back between her lips. "It means that you can trust me." Finn said, looking into her brown eyes amidst the smoke. In response, Casey puffed smoke from the side of her lips and then smiled at him. "Finn, I already know that!" she said, her voice laced with fake annoyance. "Well I wasn't sure of myself…" he answered. He took a last drag on his cigarette, dropped it to the pavement and stepped on it.

As if on cue, Jack came out of the back door of the venue and walked towards them. Ken trailed behind him and waved at Casey. "Hey, this conversation isn't over" she said as she dropped her own cigarette and stepped on it with her heels. "Where's my dad?" she asked Ken who had one eyebrow raised when he saw her and Finn talking intimately. "Oh your dad's on his way back to your house... I'm sleeping over, by the way!" he gaily said. _You are going to tell me every bit of juicy conversation you had with Finn._ Casey could almost hear Ken's thoughts from where she stood and she smiled back at him in response.

"Right, everything's sorted! It's time to get you home!" Jack said as he came towards them, his bright smile lit up his tired eyes. He gave Casey another once over as she stepped towards him. _God that dress looks gorgeous on her. _She smiled, knowing that he had, for hundredth time that day, ogled her in the pink dress he bought himself. She came up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, fairy godfather!" Casey whispered, laughing in his ear. He couldn't help but smile and hug her back. "You're welcome CC..." She let go and stood in front of him with her arms still draped around his neck. His puppy eyes stared back at her, tracing every inch of her made up face. Without even thinking, Casey kissed him on the cheek, just a few inches away from his lips. It left a pink kiss mark which made Casey laugh. "Oops, sorry!" she said as she tried to smudge it away while Jack smiled. _What just happened?!_

"Hey Jacky boy, aren't you going to give CC her birthday present?" Finn interrupted. "What birthday present?" Casey said turning to Finn. Jack moved away from Casey to check his jacket pocket. "Alright, Finn can you come over here and help me out." Jack said motioning for his twin to come beside him. Ken stood behind Casey and held her arm while she looked at both twins. "Casey, we couldn't really think about what to give you on your birthday," Jack said. "But Jack and I have been discussing things for a while now and... Well, Jack has something to ask of you..." Finn said, his fingers running across his lips lazily and his eyes were focused intently on Casey's face. Like an armored knight who finds himself in the gracious presence of the queen, Jack stood in front of her, produces a black box covered in velvet and kneels before her.

"Oh god..."

"Casey..."

"Oh my god!" Ken squealed. Even he can't keep a straight face with such a gentlemanly gesture. Casey, however, was slack-jawed.

"Will you be, officially, a part of Digital Natives?" he said, looking up to her and showing her what's inside of the box. It was a ring with a gothic looking skull and roses around it. And while Ken gave out a loud "Aawwww..." Casey's response was, oddly, a sigh of relief.

###


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34: The Digital Natives**

It was a lot like getting married, actually. There were papers to be signed and stuff to move in and decisions to be made. They even went as far as putting a ring on it, to make it official. Casey stared at the horrible gothic ring on her finger. She never liked gothic stuff, nor did she ever like skulls and bones. But she was wearing a skull with flowers on her right ring finger because Jack, Finn and Will wore gothic skull rings on their fingers as well.

_Is it weird that I live and study in Bristol but my office is in London? _She shrugged and looked around her. The small, white office was populated by posh modern furnishings in white and black. _Very masculine... Not very me, but what can I do? I work with three men! _There were potted plants everywhere in the office, all of which, Casey thought, seemed to have been named George. The only thing that's different in it was Casey's own space, a little corner in the long white desk that ran along the glass window. She bought a new Macbook Air which had a cover bedazzled with a pink Disney Princess decal and some pink jewels. She had a pink pencil holder, a pink Post Its pad, a pink wireless mouse on a pink Disney mouse pad and a jar of Gummy Bears from the endless supply her fans have been sending her. Candy was something the people from Digital Natives could never have enough. In fact, they have all developed a habit of making sure their jar of Maoams never ran out.

"Oh, hey Casey!" Will Darbyshire greeted as he sat on his own desk. He took off the Canon DSLR camera which seemed to have a permanent place around his neck. "Hey, Will!" Casey said, smiling at him. Will, she found out, was a very quiet but amiable guy. He had a very special air in him that makes him such a good company. Best of all, he had wicked talent in photography and editing that amazes Casey all the time. "Do you have any idea what the meeting would be about? Jack won't tell me and Finn hasn't answered my texts yet..." she asked.

"I think I do, but I'm not telling you either..."

"What?! Why?"

"You just have to wait and see." Casey could have sworn she heard a trace of snicker in his voice and she suddenly felt nervous. Now that Jack and Finn were, technically, her bosses, she had no way of knowing exactly what their plans were. All she knows now is that her channel, TheFreeCasey, which somehow seemed to have been gaining more and more followers everyday, is now under the twins' self-made new media company. This means that every video she creates will be produced by the twins though she still had creative control over her channel. She was surprised by how much business savvy and marketing know-how Finn had. After all, he was just a 20-year-old design undergrad. He was too young for building a small empire of YouTube channels. But then again, he wasn't alone on the business. Jack, who's considered as the creative director of the company, has ultimately become the face and the driving force of the brand. His business relations and smooth talk has carried the company to surprising developments despite the fact that it's small and undermanned. Somehow, Casey felt herself relaxing. _No matter what it is they're planning, I just have to remember that they know what they're doing_.

A few minutes after, Jack came in with coffees for her and Will. "Good morning people!" Will smirked in response and fist bumped with Jack while Finn approached her, hugged her then kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning beautiful!" he said. Casey smiled and greeted both the twins warmly with a hug. "So, what's the meeting all about?" Meetings at Digital Natives aren't actually as big as Casey have imagined. It's more like a catch up between four people instead of two. And unlike most companies, they didn't have to prepare presentations or lock themselves in a conference room (although they have one). All they do is sit around a medium-sized round table in the middle of the office and talk about their current and future projects. "Right, Will, what's the update on that eye piece we've been scouting for?" Jack said as he sipped his coffee. Casey listened as two bantered about high-end equipment that she never even knew she would need in making YouTube videos. She looked around the table and realized that between the four only Finn had bothered to take down notes. _Oh, nice handwriting... _"That's great man, thanks. Uhm, Casey when are you moving in?"

"What? Oh, I only really have my laptop so that's fine."

"No I mean when are you moving here in London?"

"Uhm, wha- I'm not moving to London, Jack."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Well then how about your transportation? Are you going to drive everyday to London just to shoot a video?"

"We're not going to shoot everyday, are we? I mean, I'll still be studying so..." Casey left her words hanging as she looked at the twins. _Am I saying something wrong here? _Jack and Finn looked at each other like they were telepathically sending messages. "Well," Finn said finally speaking up. Casey tried to focus though her thoughts are filled with how he looked very handsome in his crisp white button down shirt and jeans. "We were actually hoping you'd move in with us down here..." Any girl would have swooned upon hearing these words coming from Finn Harries, but familiarity has already made Casey immune to all this. Instead, she raised an eyebrow as he spoke. "I mean, Jack and I reckon it might be hard for you to manage your time. We've tried it before, Jack's been in the exact position as you are right now, and we found it very hard to work whilst studying." Jack crossed his arms and leaned back to his chair. He stared at Casey who was just mulling over this little fact and he felt a little twinge of guilt for having to put her through it. He leaned towards the table, put up his elbow and propped his chin on his hand as silence enveloped the room. _Come on, Case... _

"Jack, is there something you want to say?" Finn said. Jack looked over to his older brother and knew, instantly, that he needed to speak up. Finn's wearing his this-is-fucking-serious face again which he often used to tame Jack's uncontrollable energy. "I... I hate to put you through this, CC. I've been in this position and I know how hard it is to choose between doing something that you absolutely want and doing something that you know you need. I know that studying drama in Bristol is something you also want, but you have to remember that what you're achieving on YouTube right now, your 60,000 plus subscribers, your growing fan base, is very fleeting. It's an opportunity that you could either grab onto now or throw out of the window in a snap" Jack said as he snapped his fingers. He leaned back to his chair again and waited for Casey to speak up again. Her almond colored eyes bore through him and he felt his heart melt inside.

"I know that Jack, but you also have to understand that my dad and I worked so hard to get a scholarship in that Uni. You know how hard it is to get a spot in Bristol U. I want to finish this... And I know that it's not going to be easy but that's why I said yes to you guys," she looked around the table and surveyed the three gentlemen whose intense eyes and focus were centered right on her. "It's because I trust you and I know that you can help me with this. I want to study drama and I want to be a YouTuber and I want to do them both... At the same time. I know I can do it but I need your support..." her eyes met Finn's gaze and he smiled and nodded. "And I need you to trust me." She looked directly at Jack whose knotted eyebrows slowly relaxed as her eyes met his. He sighed heavily. "Fine, we'll fix everyone's schedule to coincide with yours. When's your first day of classes?" Casey smiled sweetly and breathed a small sigh of relief. "September 1st!" she answered cheerfully. She handed them a copy of her schedule and explained how she wanted to upload her videos throughout the week. "Wait, September 1 is like... A week from now, isn't it?" Will said as he looked from Casey's schedule to the twins and then to Casey. "Oh yeah, how are we going to shoot your music video then?" Jack said. As if on instinct, he looked over at Finn who was scanning his notes from the last brainstorming they did. "Oh yeah, we need to do the shot list, we need to start recording, we need to find a garden, a hill, a band, some instruments, costumes, extra people, a co-star, a choreographer, a crane and most of all…" he stopped to look at the people around the table. "We need a leading man." Casey realized that it was a lot to do in a week. _Damn, this seemed so easy to do when we talked about it over Skype last week._

"Wait..." Casey could almost see the bulb lighting up on top of Jack's head. He knew they could pull off a good shoot in less than a week. What he wasn't sure of is if they could find an actor for Casey's music video in less than a week. But in the few seconds of silence he had, he devised a plan that would allow them to shoot in two days if only... "I have good idea..." he muttered, snapping his fingers as he looked at Casey. He had a cheeky smile on his face that made Casey curious and Finn a bit nervous. "What if the love interest in your music video is played by Finn!"

"Woah, no. I-" Finn leaned back to his chair as the three looked at him conspicuously, their stares making him bolt upright. "I refuse to do the acting here, come on... Jack should do it, he's the actor here!"

"But Finn, he's already the director!" Casey said.

"Yes, but I'm the producer!" Finn argued.

"You're not going to do much during the shoot as a producer, Finny..." Jack said, his eyebrows raised at him, pressuring him all the more. "I bet Finnsey fans would go ballistic over this..." Will chimed in, his grin widening as they watched Finn squirm in his seat. "Please, Finny?" Casey said leaning towards him across the table, her big brown puppy eyes and her pouty lips bringing him to edge. "Alright! Alright!" he said, putting his hands up in surrender. _I deserve another kiss for this. _

###


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35: The New Video**

"Jack! Wake up!"

"What?!"

"It's done! The video's done rendering!" Casey said excitedly as she hovered over sleepy Jack. Though they both only had a few hours of sleep in the past four days, they decided to wake up early that Sunday to watch and release the final product of what they've been working on the whole week.

_CaseyFreeman: Good morning! We're releasing my first ever music video today! #NewCaseyVideo _

She happily flopped on a swivel chair in front of Jack's computer and waited for him to sit beside her. There were ginger biscuits on a plate and a mug of tea waiting for him when he came back from the bathroom, and his face lit up instantly. "Awww, thanks CC!" he said, kissing the top of her head as he sat down. Casey just smiled at him as she held her mug with her two hands. "Ready?" Jack said looking at her as he popped a biscuit into his mouth. "My body is ready!" Casey said laughing excitedly. Jack pressed the spacebar on his mini keyboard and, without her even noticing it, stretched his arm behind and around Casey.

* * *

As the acoustic guitar played, the words "Digital Natives presents" and "Loved You First" appeared on top of an establishing shot of the same house that they used for the Finn's Revenge video. A red car stopped in front of it and they see Casey who took her sunglasses off and stepped out of the car wearing tight fitting jeans, boots and a peplum top.

***Boy, it should be me, driving to your house... Knocking on your door and kissing you on the mouth...***

Though they only used DSLR cameras, Will and Jack found a way to do a two camera setup where they got to shoot Casey from the side and the back. She strode towards the door and rang the bell. The door opened and revealed a smiling Finn who hugged Casey tight upon seeing her. This however was stopped abruptly when someone appeared behind Casey.

***Holding on your hand, dancing in the dark... Cause I was the only one who loved you from the start...***

Caspar Lee emerged behind them and gave Finn a sweet smile. With a wide grin on his face, Finn suddenly lets go of Casey as he opened his arm to Caspar who hugged him giddily and forcibly kissed him in the mouth. Casey, who watched the whole thing unfolding before her had her jaw hanging open in surprise and annoyance. The two boys went inside the house together and Casey followed suit after a long disapproving look.

***But now when I see you with him it tears my world apart... Because...***

Inside the house, Casey sat on the far side of the white couch in the living room while Finn sat on the other end. She lip synced to the lyrics while looking at Finn. Finn stretched his arm and puts it over the backrest of the couch. He looked towards her, a naughty smile plastered on his face. As the lyrics ended the camera zoomed out to reveal Caspar clinging onto Finn's body longingly while Casey sat on the other end eating a popcorn, boredom crawling all over her face.

***I've been waiting all this time to finally say it but now I see your heart's been taken and nothing could be worse... Baby, I loved you first...***

The beats and Casey's recorded the voice rolled on the chorus. She was seen standing by the kitchen counter singing with a very dull face as Caspar and Finn messed about on her either side. The two threw around flour and other food towards each other, laughing gaily as they did. The only girl, however, sang with a stone face in between them and stared at the camera.

***Had my chances could've been where he is standing, that's what hurts the most, boy, I came so close but now you'll never know... Baby, I loved you first...***

Will had a hard time with the crane while shooting because he had to use so much arm strength. But it was worth every sweat he shed because the clip was by far Casey's favorite among all of the ones they shot. It starts with a shot of the clear blue sky which moves downwards to Casey who was singing on a mic stand. Behind her were Jack who half-pretended to play the drums, Marcus Butler who handled the lead guitar, Alfie Deyes who pretended to be knowledgeable in playing the base guitar and Sam Pepper who fingered randomly on the keyboard. It was the most fun Casey's had with a fake band and it brought a sweet smile on her face as she sang the part.

***Boy, it should be me calling on your phone saying you're the one and that I'll never let you go...***

The guitar interlude led to a split screen shot of Finn and Casey who are talking on the phone. The camera focuses on a wedding invitation that they both held in their hands as they talked. Then out of the blue, Caspar came towards Finn and sat on his lap. He took Finn's phone, said goodbye to Casey and cuddled with Finn. And despite the need for a serious, naughty face, Finn couldn't help but laugh at gay Caspar who was wriggling on his lap. Casey on the other hand stared sadly at her phone.

***I never understood what love was really like, but I felt it for the first time looking in your eyes... But now when I see you with him it tears my world apart because...***

One of the biggest preparations they had to do for the shoot was to fake a wedding. They had to enlist the help of their YouTuber friends to populate the guest list and arrange the location. What they wanted was to fake Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman's wedding. Finn played Jim's best man while Casey stood beside Tanya as her maid of honor. Will took a sweeping shot of the special pairings on the front row which were made up of Mazz and Sam who pretended to be in love, Alfie and Zoe Sugg who seemed to be enjoying their little moment together, Louise Pentland and her husband whose face didn't show because he was carrying Darcy, and Marcus who brought his girlfriend Naomi with him. The shot continued to Casey who was staring and singing longingly to Finn. It moved to Tanya and Jim whose hands were joined together. In between them was Louis Cole who looked clean and crisp on a priest costume. Then the camera focused on Finn whose hand, as the zoomed in shot showed, was holding Caspar's who was standing beside him, gushing like a teenage girl as Finn gave him a sweet smile.

***I've been waiting, all this time to finally say it. But now I see your heart's been taken and nothing could be worse. Baby, I loved you first...***

The shot came back to Casey and the YouTube crew singing on top of a hill. Behind them was a beautiful sunset that was turning orange and pink. The wind was fierce against their face but it proved to be a great help because it blew Casey's hair and thus added drama as she sang and the fake band played behind her. Not only was it fun for Casey, it was also, at some point, a dream come true for the YouTube Crew to become a real boy band even for just one day.

***Had my chances could've been where he is standing that's what hurts the most, boy, I came so close but now you'll never know... Baby, I loved you first.***

To save time, they changed the arrangement of the fake wedding ceremony into a garden reception buy taking the chairs away and putting a few tall tables around them. With Will handling the crane, the shot showed Tanya who was about to throw her bouquet. The camera panned upwards to show the pool of girls with Casey in front, excitedly waiting to catch the bouquet. Jack, who was holding another camera, took a close up shot of the bouquet as it was tossed in the air while Will showed Casey about to catch the bouquet. Suddenly, Caspar pops in beside her and catches the bouquet at the same time. They fought for the bouquet and since Caspar was the stronger one, he won the battle and held the flowers high up in the air. He then ran towards Finn and kissed him on the cheek as the camera followed the two of them happily hugging. Jack, on the other hand, shot Casey's annoyed face and followed her as she walked away from the rest.

***The first touch, first kiss, first guy who made me feel like this... Heartbreak, it's killing me. I loved you first, why can't you see?***

The fake wedding looked more amazing come night time. Jack decided to put the small christmas lights in his room on tall posts that stood around the fake reception so it glowed like little fireflies. The shot, however, was focused on gloomy looking Casey who was standing by a table on her own. Finn came towards her and asked for a dance and as they did, she stared at his beautiful green eyes, something that she never seem to get tired of whether they were on camera or not. She noticed it was a tinge darker than Jack's. _Why am I thinking this? _She smiled up at Finn and before the lyrics ended, Finn twirled her. She then turned into a circle away from him with Will following her graceful turn and Jack intently focusing on her face. As she steadied she faced Finn who was a few meters away from her. Around them were dancing couples and as the music slowed down, Casey and Finn stared at each other from afar with smiles on their lips.

***I've been waiting all this time to finally say it but now I see your heart's been taken and nothing could be worse...***

It almost seemed like a staring contest. Casey held her gaze and walked towards Finn very slowly while lip syncing to the lyrics. Her walk was almost so seductive that Jack couldn't help but bite his lip as she neared him… Or neared Finn since he was shooting her over his twin's shoulder. But before she got near him, Caspar walked beside Finn and held his face. Through Will, Finn was showed holding Caspar and dipping him low, like how a gentleman does to a lady during a dance, and pretended to make out with him in front of Casey. The second camera showed a close up of Casey's face crumpling while watching it. She then pretended to vomit at the sight of them and turned around so as not to see it.

***...Baby, I loved you first... Had my chances could've been where he is standing that's what hurts the most, boy, I came so close but you'll never know... Baby, I loved you first... Baby, I loved you first...***

The wide shot angle of the camera on a crane showed Casey in the middle of the dance floor with the whole gang around her. She sang the last part of the chorus to her heart's content as every YouTuber and extras around her did a mob dance. Will also took a shot of everyone dancing merrily as a couple while Casey sang in the midst of them all. The camera focused on Casey's face, her eyes filled with hurt and sadness. As the song ended she felt a hand on her shoulder.

***Baby, I loved you first...***

She turned around and her brown eyes lit up instantly. Before her was Jack, all dressed up in an expensive suit with his hand reaching out to her. And as the crowd danced around them, Casey looked down on her feet and then back up to Jack, his green eyes consuming her altogether. She takes her hand and they move to the center of the crowd to dance while the video defocused and faded to a black.

* * *

There was a split second silence in the room as the video blacked out. As the credits rolled, Casey couldn't help but rock happily on her chair. She was hugging her knees all throughout their little viewing experience while Jack was watching her watching the video, his arms casually lying around her shoulders. He reached for the keyboard, pressed the space bar again to stop it from playing and turned to her. "So, do you think this is ready for public consumption?" Jack asked leaning towards her. "Oh my god, I don't know. I'm excited and nervous and weirded out all at the same time!"

"Why?"

"This is big, JJ... Releasing this music video on YouTube is a big deal for me because it's the start of something way bigger. It's not just my channel now, it's ours..." Jack smiled sweetly and stared back at her big brown eyes. "Yeah, it does feel a lot like we've both just given birth to a baby..." Casey laughed and the sound of her chuckles seemed to tickle Jack's insides, making him laugh as well. "It does, doesn't it?" she said, still chuckling. "But isn't it weird that the baby has three fathers and one mother?" she said, scrunching up fer face. "No, not at all!" Jack answered. "It sounds perfectly normal." It made Casey laugh hysterically again. "But if you are bothered that the baby channel has two fathers I will gladly take responsibility for it! Yeah, I'll be the dad, and Finn and Will can be the uncles." They both laughed. Casey watched as Jack's cheeks turned pink from laughing, his pretty lips were turned to a smile which, she realized based on experience, was very unusual for a newly risen Jack. He's not a morning person. _Wait, why is this feeling so familiar?!_

###


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36: The Busy Queen Bee**

By the last week of September, Casey was able to grow her subscription base to 90,000 and it keeps on ballooning every single day. Her Twitter and Facebook following grew as well, especially after all the YouTubers featured on the music video tweeted about it on the day it was released. Her cover of One Direction's Love You First, which they were skeptical to upload at first, became an instant hit on SoundCloud and iTunes. Casey's first day back at school was way more intense. A couple of university organizations are fighting to get her attention, something they never did when she was a freshman just a few months ago. Some of her professors are asking her to audition for a major role in a play or a spot in the show choir group. A few freshmen girls persistently waited for her at the door after her classes asking if she could sign their notebook covers or if they could at least hang out with her in between classes. Casey and Ken are beginning to expand their social circle and gain friends while Jack and Finn are helplessly busy with collaborations and charities back in London.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Ken moaned as he looked out the window of his university hall one Wednesday morning. He called up Casey who was driving on her way to school. "Case, where are you?"

"I'm driving, I'm almost there, why?"

"Don't your fans know that you don't live on campus? There is a group of teenage boys waiting for you to appear outside my building and I swear to god they're carrying weird-looking plants for you."

"What? Ken, how can you be so sure that those are my fans?"

"Oh, I don't know! I think it's because they've been screaming your name for half an hour now?!"

"What?! Why would they think that I live there?"

"Girl, in case you forgot, you've been doing all your live broadcasts in this room. You also told 25,000 people just a few days ago that this room is Jack's old room. These kids have stalker brains, Case, they know where to find you..." Her panic rising, Casey changed gears and turned around. "Right, I'm gonna have to park somewhere else. Don't go anywhere." She checked her watch, they have an hour and a half to get to their next class. _What in the world is happening?! _It turns out the boys were just trying to help her prettify the room for her next broadcast... And then they tried to get her number but it was, for the most part, unsuccessful. Ken had to carry the potted plant from the first floor to the third and then they had to run to their classes 10 minutes before the time. "I am so, so sorry..." she whispered to Ken as they sat at the back of the class. Ken rolled his eyes and wiped his sweat with a pink handkerchief. "Bitch, you're lucky you have me. I love you too much to leave you on your own despite the fact that you literally abandoned me this whole summer."

"I did not! I even let you pick all my clothes for me during the shoot!"

"Over the phone? For real?!" Ken was clearly unleashing the wrath he's been toying with these past few weeks and, ironically, it made Casey smile. "Okay, I'm sorry I've been so busy this past few weeks. We've been shooting nonstop! Did you know I now have three weeks worth of videos waiting to be uploaded?" Ken looked at Casey, puzzled but amazed. "Then why do we need to shoot another video later?" Casey sighed her happy sigh. "Because I need to stock up on videos for the next couple of months. I don't want to be making videos when I should be studying for finals or something..." It was part of the plan she and the Digital Natives devised before she left London a few weeks ago. She needed two months worth of vlogs and covers to use in case she gets too busy with school work. Aside from this she also has new singing vlogs every Saturday and a live broadcast every Sunday in case Jack and Finn are too busy to do theirs. Between her YouTube schedule and her classes, Casey was left with very little time to hang out and relax.

"Case, are you sure you're okay?" Ken said as he watched her pick up her guitar again. They've been trying to record a decent vlog for Made in the USA for almost two hours now. He can sense the fatigue in Casey's voice as the hours passed, but she just wouldn't let go. "I'm okay, I just need to make this sound right..." Just before she sat down, her phone rang. "Oh, you changed your ringtone? When did you ever like One Direction?!" Ken asked, startled with the sudden blast of Kiss You from Casey's phone which was lying on the table beside him. Casey rolled her eyes and approached Ken. "That's just Jack's ringtone. Also, 1D's second album is actually good!" Casey reasoned before hitting the answer button. "Hey JJ, what's up?" She laughed as Ken rolled his eyes at her. "CC, go on Skype, I wanna see you!" Jack said smiling as he opened his laptop. "Great, perfect timing!" Casey said on the other line. "I need you to listen to this recording I just did and tell me if it's fine or not. It's really rough though." Jack smiled at the thought of Casey finally recording her songs and actually doing serious YouTube stuff. He couldn't believe that Casey, who doesn't have the editing skills and equipment he had when starting his own channel, has so far managed to study and produce content all at the same time. "Alright, send it to me on Skype then. Bye!" he said and he ended the call. When the little icon beside Casey's name turned green, he quickly clicked the video call button.

"Hey JJ!" she waved at the camera and smiled. "Hey CC..." he said, ecstatic. It's only been four weeks since he last saw her but he felt like hugging her tight. There's a lot to be said on missing someone just because you've gotten used to seeing them so often. A flash of her brown eyes made Jack realize that one of the main reason he missed Casey was because he has gotten used to seeing her all the time when she decided to stay in their apartment for more than a week while filming the music video. "Did you know it felt different when you left and I wake up knowing you're not sleeping in the guestroom?" Jack suddenly said, out of the blue while she was sending the file to him. Ken, who was going through Casey's clothes, stopped and came closer to eavesdrop, his eyebrow raised towards his friend. "What?! Jack, you're such a drama king!" Casey said, laughing as she looked up to Ken. Jack giggled, his cheeks burning slightly red as he scratched the back of his head. "It's very sentimental, isn't it? But it's true!" he said as clicked Open File. "Hold on I'm going to listen now, what song is this anyway?" he asked as he inserted his headphones to the laptop. "It's Made in the USA," she answered. It was very raw, indeed. No edits, no backing vocals or accompanying beats and yet it sounded very well in Jack's ears. "Wow..." He saw Casey's face scrunch up upon hearing his one-word reaction. "This is actually good, I like it!" Jack said, his face lighting up like a bulb. _This is perfect! _"Yeah but it's very raw... I mean, to me it sounds tasteless without the beats and the-" There was a tiny creak in the background and a sudden door slam.

"Jack?!"

"Finny, come over here, Casey's on Skype!" Jack called out. "Finn's coming, he just got home from Leeds." Jack explained as he took off his headphones. In a matter of seconds Finn burst into the room and came towards Jack. "Hello!" he greeted and Casey instantly smiled. "Hi Finn! How was Leeds?" she asked, fazed by how well he still looked despite the three hour drive he's just been in. "Good! I was just in a reunion with my friends back at the uni, it's very tiring though," he told her. "Hey, listen to this!" Jack said as he gave the headphones to Finn. The other twin sat down and listened while Jack made funny faces on the camera, making Casey laugh. "You know what..." Finn suddenly said. "What?" Casey asked, startled. "I think this song is perfect for your second music video!"

"Mate, that's exactly what I was thinking!" Jack said, his eyes bright with excitement. The two looked at each other, ideas burning at the back of their heads. "Have you told her about the good news yet?" Finn said in a low voice. "I was about to, actually, just before you came..." Jack answered, his voice almost a whisper. "You both know that I can hear you, right? Spill. Now." Casey said, crossing her arms. The twins looked at her, green eyes meeting hers across the screen. Jack cleared his throat and leaned towards the laptop, his elbow on the table and his hand supporting his chin. Finn did the same thing thus occupying the rest of Casey's laptop screen. "We've actually been making some arrangements for you and we've decided..."

"We're going to LA!" Finn blurted out, grinning very broadly. "Wait, what are you talking about?!" Casey said, confusion plastered on her face. "Well basically, you, me, Finn and Will are going to LA to shoot a music video, do some meetings and work on a possible album..." Jack explained, Finn was still smiling, waiting for Casey's reaction. This, however, did very little to alleviate her confusion. "Album? What? Wait a minute, when did this happen?" _Oh my god, this is too fast... This is all too fast... _Finn was starting to worry. It didn't dawn on him that she might not be as prepared as they were with the developments in her channel. "Remember when we left for VidCon last August?" Finn said, knowing full well that he needed to take things slower for her by starting at the very beginning. "Yeah, that was in LA" Casey said, leaning towards the laptop. She was still trying to wrap her head around the broken fragments of information they presented her. "Well, during that time we had dinner with Hank Green and we told him all about you and he got interested in your music..." Finn explained, smiling cheekily. She had no idea they had everything mapped out for her already. "He said DFTBA Records would love to produce an album for you," Jack said plainly, a smile was starting to spread on his face when he saw Casey's reaction. Her eyes went wide, her gasp was so sharp it seemed to have pierced her lung. "Oh my god! Really?"

"Yeah, mate! I was talking to him on Skype, just before I called you, and he was asking when we're going to LA to start writing and recording songs!" he added, his heart skipping a beat at seeing Casey's priceless smile. "Oh wow... That's amazing! But how do we do that? I still have half a term to finish guys, I can't really leave uni now!" Casey said, realizing quite belatedly how complex things were now that other parties are involved. "It's fine, we told Hank we'll be there by December, right after your finals" Finn interrupted. "In the meantime, we think you should start writing your own songs now and start doing more music videos!" Jack said smiling confidently, his eyes filled with pride for his lady friend. "Great, but there's just one more problem..." Casey said. She paused, her brain wandering in a huge, invisible space called the past. _Am I ready to go back to LA? _"What is it?" Finn asked. He stared at her, and so did Jack, both their faces registering curiosity and uncertainty. Ken was glowering at her too as he stood just a few inches away from Casey's side. _Oh dear lord, I can sense it... Please don't let this be another brewing anxiety attack... _"What's wrong Casey?" Jack asked again as he sensed Casey's discomfort. He noticed how her jaw clenched, her breathing quickening, her eyes dancing uncomfortably and her hands trembling slightly.

"I... I can't write my own song..."

###


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37: The Night Before the Trip**

_Jack: Ready for tomorrow? _

Jack pressed Send, pocketed his phone, zippered his luggage close and rolled it near the door of his room. It's probably the first time this year that he packed more than 12 hours away from leaving. Usually it takes him 30 to 50 minutes to pack before hopping on a car and leaving for the airport.

_Casey: I think so? _

Casey stared at what she just typed and decided to erase the question mark before sending it to Jack. _Right... Let's just leave it at that and pretend that I do not give a shit at about proper punctuation. _She breathed deeply and directed her attention to the massive mess on her bed. "Ken, I swear to god I won't be able to fit all this crap in my luggage!" she whined. Ken stuck his head out from her wardrobe and gave her his 'meanie' look. "Do you have any idea how important your LA trip is? This is a freakin' make or break for your career and I will NOT let you walk into meet ups in old jeans and shirts!" Casey just laughed in response as her best friend stood in front of her, his hands on his waist. "Don't you laugh at me like that, Casey. I care a lot about your new found online fame!" he said after breathing a heavy sigh and turning his back at her. She had to stop laughing. _Shit, he's so mad at me now. _"What are you saying? Of course I care about my career!" she said, trying her best to hide the stab of hurt she felt.

"Really..."

"I do! It's a dream come true, come on."

"Then why are you so anxious right now?" Her mind went blank. While she was thinking of something to say, Ken proceeded to rolling her clothes neatly and laying them in her pink luggage."You really know me, don't you..." Ken sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Case, it's not that hard to get to know you..." She couldn't help but smile.

* * *

When she first came to the UK, Casey knew no one. She was desolate, anxious, depressed and lonely. It was this half-Asian kid who made her laugh, genuinely, for the first time. One day she came in late for class so she had to sit in the back beside him. He looked at her sideways as she took off her hoodie. Under it she was wearing a pair of jeans and a big, old, white t-shirt which she just clearly grabbed from her closet without thinking after waking up five minutes before her first class. She didn't even shower, thinking no one would notice anyway. She just washed her face, grabbed some random stuff in her closet and made a mad dash to the car. Though she was, for the most part, disgusted of herself, she was glad she made it to Television and Film. _It may not be the best idea to start the week with a ten minute tardy record and dirty hair but at least I made it, right? _While they were discussing the course outline, Casey couldn't help but feel giddy inside. She was too excited with the possible theater productions and performances they could be doing this term. She had so many questions and ideas that when the teacher asked for reactions and inquiries, she immediately shot her right hand up in the air. Smiling, she politely asked about how they would go about on the end-of-term performance that first years partake in as a part of their curriculum. "Good question Ms...?"

"Uh, Freeman."

"Ms. Freeman. That's a good question to ask your Performance Arts teacher. But right now you're in Television and Film class so I suggest you check your schedule to see if you're in the right class. Sit down." She was scarlet red. Her heart was beating fast and she can feel her breathing constricting as she heard the blatant laughing all around her. She slouched on her desk, put up her right hand to her head and pretended to have a headache when really she just trying to hide her reddening face.

"Psst..."

Casey sighed and looked sideways. The guy who was sitting beside her leaned closer to her ear. She caught a whiff of his scent. _Hmm... Vanilla? _"Hey," he said. She took her hand off her face and looked at him as he pretended to listen to the teacher again. He had a very prominent jaw line, his eyes were black and small behind thick, rimmed glasses. He was wearing a white v-neck shirt and a stripe scarf which, to her, seemed very attractive. "Don't worry... I almost asked that question too," he whispered. Tiny upward arcs formed on the sides of Casey's lips. He looked at her and smiled shyly, which somehow managed to stop her heart from beating abnormally fast. "I'm Ken, what's your name?" Casey suddenly realized that the guy was not speaking in a British accent at all. He had an American twang that made her miss home despite the fact that she went to Bristol to escape it all. "I'm Casey. Where are you from?" she whispered, curious about this Asian-looking guy.

"New York. You?"

"Oh my gosh, I'm from Los Angeles!"

"Cool! Have you been to Hollywood?"

"Yeah, I lived near that area!"

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, it's nice. You should go there!"

"I would but I mean, I'm stuck here in Bristol like you are." She snickered in response, which earned her a few looks from other students. She pursed her lips, sat up properly and tried to hide her smile. _This guy is something. _"Hey," she turned her head again. His head was cocked to the side and he was biting his lip to hide a huge grin. "What?" she asked, a goofy smile playing on her lips as well. Casey felt her heart beating slightly faster. _Please ask me out?_ "Don't raise your hand for the rest of the day." He said giving her a weird look. "What? Why?" She asked, struck with the weird statement he just threw out in the open. "There's a huge hole on your t-shirt's armpit..." he answered, trying not to laugh. She quickly checked her right armpit and saw a gaping circle on it like it was chewed on by some monster rat. "Oh shit..." She wanted to disappear right then and there. "Don't worry, I can fix that for you" he finally said, smiling as he sat upright and closed his sketchbook. After their TV and film class, Ken took Casey to his room, which back then was situated on the fifth floor of the university hall. Much to her dismay, she found out he has a portable sewing machine in his room which he used to make customized shirts, vests and even dresses. He even pinned a pretty brooch on her very simple shirt. It was the start of a fabulous friendship that brought about all the awesome things happening in her life so far.

* * *

Casey smiled. "You know I'm glad I wore a really bad, holed up t-shirt to school a year ago..." Ken stopped packing and looked at her. His eyes were filled with compassion and happiness. "Oh, come on you..." he said and held out his arms to her. He hugged her tight, his arms wrapping around her like big, fluffy blanket. "I'm so gonna miss you this month..." she whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek as she moved away from him. As much as she wanted to take Ken with her to Los Angeles, she just can't afford to bring him with her. "Why are you crying?!" he asked when he saw her face. "Because I feel bad that you I can't bring you with me to LA! I know how much you want to go there. Besides, you are the sole reason why I've gone this far. I mean, if not for the fact that I just waltz in and out if your uni room all the time, I would not have met Jack and none of this would ever happen... Thank you..." Ken smiled, his perfect set of teeth brightening up his face. "Awww, stop being such a drama queen and help me pack your shit." Casey laughed. She wiped her tears away and started folding some of her clothes.

"Now, remember to post your outfits everyday on Instagram. I'll be waiting for those!" he warned. He vowed to be Casey's personal shopper and stylist from the day her videos started getting positive responses. At 92,000 subscribers, and thousands upon thousands of social media followers, Ken's dream of becoming a legit fashion adviser is also coming into fruition. "Yes, I will... Also, try to always be on Skype or Twitter in case I come across a fashion rut. I'll call you as soon as I get there." Her phone suddenly started ringing and Casey had to frantically search for it amidst the mess of clothes on her bed. "Jesus, could you please change your ringtone? That One Direction song is driving me insane!" Ken whined as he watched her scramble for her phone. "Hey, Jack chose this ringtone for himself, not me!" She finally found it under a heap of colored underwear and answered it. "Jack?"

"Hey, Case, is Ken in there?"

"Uh, yeah, why?" Casey looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was 8:15PM. "Tell him to pack his bags as well, I'm booking a flight for him too." Jack, who was back in London, was in front of his Mac, making final arrangements for their flight. "What? Really?! Why?" He couldn't help but smile upon hearing Casey's ecstatic voice on the other end of the line. _I hope this works. _"Finn and I were talking this morning and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to book a flight for him today so I didn't tell you sooner but I found a good flight and we thought we need Ken on the trip too." He signaled for Finn who was passing by his room. Finn came up to him and he pointed on the screen. "Call Will tell him his flight details changed," he instructed, moving his phone away from his face. Finn nodded and started dialing Will's number.

"What do you mean?" Casey asked. She sat beside Ken and squeezed his arm while he folded the remainder of her clothes. "We need him to study how YouTubers in LA make their own merch. We're going to launch our own merch store on the website so we can sell JacksGap shirts again. Finn and I decided to make him the creative director for Digital Natives merchandise... But that is if he agrees to it, of course." He heard loud screams at the end of the line and he knew it wasn't just Casey who was jumping for joy that night. "Am I on speaker, CC?" he asked, his smile permanently plastered on his face. "Oh my god, I think we just woke up my dad," Casey answered, still laughing. "Calm down!" Imagining Casey and Ken screaming around in her room made him giggle. "Right, Finn just got off the phone with Will. Ken and Will will be on a Virgin Atlantic flight and the three of us will be traveling on British Airways. Sorry we can't all travel together, I can't find seats for either of them on our flight. But there's very little difference in our departure and arrival time anyway so there's no problem with that. The question is, will he be ready for tomorrow morning?"

Casey looked at Ken expectantly, her cheeks burning bright red with excitement. Ken nodded towards her while he hurriedly finished packing for Casey so they could start on his. "Yes! Yes he is! We're going to have to go to the uni and pack right now. Email me his travel details, we're leaving right now." Casey took her car keys, which were hanging on a hook by the door and her hoodie, the exact hoodie she wore to her first class on the day she met Ken. She smiled upon seeing it and turned back to Ken who was closing her suitcase, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Right, I'll see you tomorrow then..." Jack said, smiling as leaned back to his swivel chair.

"Thank you Jack... I'll see you tomorrow!"

###


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38: Made In The USA**

Casey stared at the little white pill on her palm. She looked outside the plane's window on Jack's side and watched the huge fans under the wings of the plane whirring. She felt the plane's machines silently readying for flight. Her heart started pumping more blood, her head throbbed and she felt the air in her lungs dissipating. Her chest heaved and her hands, which had been clammy all morning, started shaking, making the little pills jiggle. Two days before their departure, she started taking low dosages of Atenolol again. Her dad sent her back to her psychiatrist because he wanted to make sure she's comfortable during the 10 hour flight. He knew that even a 4 hour flight with Casey could feel like a living hell if she wasn't thoroughly prepared for it.

Jack watched as Casey took her anti-anxiety beta blocker medication and washed it down with a bottle of water. Casey's dad, James, gave him and Finn a long lecture at the airport that morning about what to do in case she starts panicking. It was enough to say that he was shocked at the seriousness of the situation. She wasn't just having jitters about riding a plane and coming home, she was having panic attacks days before their departure. She developed attacks under stressful situations after Charlie's death. She had to go under stress relief therapy, take prescriptions and even leave the country. Casey didn't have to announce the fact that she's scared to come back to LA, despite her desire to see her mom very soon. Her heaving chest is a clear indication of all the mixed feelings she have inside. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question to ask someone who's under great stress, but that was all Jack could manage to comfort her. "Yeah, I'm okay..." she whispered. "CC, you should sleep now." Finn said, taking the pink neck pillow Casey brought with her from her bag and stuffing it at the back of her head before putting her bag in the overhead compartment.

* * *

[TAKE ONE]

***Our love runs deep like a Chevy, if you fall I fall with you baby, coz' that's the way you like to do it that's the way you like...***

Because the twins had to assist Casey, Will and Ken were tasked to film their take off and touch down. Since they departed and arrived half an hour earlier, they also filmed the three as they came out of the LAX boarding gate. They were all smiles on the camera, as if they didn't have to go through a hell of preparations when Casey woke up just before touch down. Luckily she was still a bit sedated when the plane landed but she was in and out of focus.

***You run around open doors like a gentleman... Tell me, girl, everyday you're my everything coz' that's the way you like to do it, that's the way you like...***

Jack started filming with his own camera by the time they went past the immigration. He followed Casey, who had to wear sunglasses to hide her bloodshot eyes, and Finn who was by her side all the way, his arm around her waist. As they approached the exit doors, they were surprised to see a group of teenage girls and boys waiting for them at the arrival area with signs that read "Welcome back Jack, Finn and Casey!" They were standing beside a beautiful brunette woman who had a shiny smile and a paper that has Casey's name written on it. "Oh my god, Mom!" Jack focused the camera on Casey's face, a big smile forming on her face.

***Just a little west coast and a bit of sunshine, hair blowing in the wind, losing track of time just you and I... Just you and I...***

She ran towards her mother past the doors and Jack had to run after her for a shot of her hugging her mother as tight as she could. Will, meanwhile, busied himself with filming Finn greeting the youngsters who waited for them for hours without even knowing what time they would appear. Jack focused on Casey's mother, who seemed to look too young for her age. She was standing with a tall, muscular, bald, American man who had his arm around them. Jack looked up from his camera's eyepiece. He watched as her mom gently stroked Casey's hair like a little kid and somehow he felt the magic that transformed Casey into her bubbly, old self. Casey and Jack then joined Finn in greeting their fans and took pictures with them while Will took over the filming.

***No matter how far we go, I want the whole world to know I want you back and I won't have it any other way...***

Ken had been very smart in styling Casey before leaving for their flight the previous morning. He dressed her in distressed, low-rise jeans, white pumps and a cropped top that bore the American flag, knowing that they will start shooting for the music video as soon as she steps out of the plane. So when Finn and Jack saw the red pick up her stepfather Greg owned, they had no qualms about jumping at the back of the car and shooting a part of the video. They had Casey standing up at the back of the pick up, basking in the Los Angeles sunshine. Ken was inside the car. He had his hands through the small window at the back and held Casey's knee to keep her from falling while they drive along the vast freeway. Her shining smile while she lip synced to the song dazzled even the other drivers who drove past them, puzzled.

***No matter what the people say, I know that we'll never break coz' our love was made, made in the USA... Made in the USA...***

Finn also took close up shots of her as she leaned to the pick up's hood, her hands high up in the air and her hair flying beautifully behind her. It's been a while since he was this close to her. He slowly zoomed out as she turned to the camera, her brown eyes piercing through the lens and straight into the eyepiece. He couldn't help but smile. By the time they neared Santa Monica, they asked Greg to stop by the side of the freeway so they can film Casey, walking with the sunset shining on her face and the beauty of Santa Monica looming behind her.

***You're always reading my mind like a letter, when I'm cold you're there like a sweater coz' that's the way we like to do it, that's the way we like...***

One of the first things Casey did on her first day back in Los Angeles was to do a meet up. From Santa Monica, they drove to Long Beach and met up with over 60 fans in DeForest Park. Though the meet up was set at 10AM, most of them had been there since 8AM, waiting for Casey to come up. They were all surprised to see Jack and Finn with her that most of them screamed when they saw the three, along with Ken and Will, striding towards them. Casey and Jack asked everyone to form a huge circle around Casey. One by one, the fans came up to Casey to give her letters, cards, candies and to ask her for photos, hugs and autographs. The three boys filmed the whole event and tried capturing all the happy smiles around them.

***And never ever let the world get the best of you, every night we're apart I'm still next to you coz' that's the way I like to do it, that's the way I like...***

The next day they went to downtown LA and revisited Boba Time, where Casey worked during the summer before she left for Bristol. They even filmed Casey who made yogurts for them. She chatted with the manager of the place who was so happy to see her, he even gave her an apron and pushed her to serve teas and yogurt again for at least half an hour. Jack has never seen Casey so cute and happy with a black apron, her hair tied up in a high ponytail and her smile so wide as she handed customers their refreshments from behind the counter. One of the special customers she served was Tyler Oakley, who was so happy to meet Casey after talking to her on Twitter.

***We touched down on the east coast, dinner in the sky rise, winter is the best time for walking in the city lights you and I... You and I...***

That evening, Tyler, who became fast friends with Ken because of their common love for florals, led them to a place called R Bar. They had a lovely dinner and a few drinks while the acoustic band played. After dinner, the boys, except of course from Ken and Tyler, decided to teach Casey how to penny board, they went to a nearby park and the twins guided her while Will filmed from a distance. It was a joy for him to see Casey on his penny board, Sophie. She was all smiles while she pushed with her right foot and cruised towards Jack who held out his arms to her.

***No matter how far we go, I want the whole world to know, I want you and and won't have to any other way... No matter what the people say, I know that we'l never break coz' our love was made, made in the USA... Made in the USA...***

Because a lot of Casey's fans were not able to come to the first meet up, they called for another one in Central Park and had acquired a permit to hold a huge picnic in the park. They tweeted the fans to bring some lunch food and meet up with Casey, who proposed to do a mini gig in the park for everyone, including the public who didn't even know who she was. She took her old guitar with her and played for her American fans who formed a huge semi circle in front of her and sang along with her. As she sang the lyrics to Demi's song, she couldn't help but feel so overwhelmed with the amount of people around her who had smiles on their faces. They keep telling her they love her, and every time they did the tears keep welling in her eyes. She closed her eyes as she strummed her guitar and sang with all her heart. When she opened her eyes as the chorus ended, she saw Jack, with his trusty camera, right across her, filming her. She looked directly to the camera again and smiled ever so slightly, her eyes watery.

***Coz' baby I'll bite the bullet and take the blow for love... Our love...***

For the next part of the music video, Casey asked the crew to film her in Long Beach. It wasn't really a part of the plan, all they wanted was to do a montage of Casey with different people and singing in different locations. But Casey insisted on going to Long Beach and filming the last bits of the song with her walking along the shore. Will, whose hands were the steadiest of all, followed Casey as she walked along the beach, her eyes looking out on the horizon, her maxi dress flowing gracefully about her. Despite the chill of LA's December air, she felt perfectly warm.

***Was made in the USA... Made in the USA... Made in the USA...***

From a close up shot of Casey's downcast eyes, Finn directed Will to zoom out fast until her whole body fits in the frame. Casey lip synced to the interlude while playing her old acoustic guitar. She stood in the middle of her former high school's football field, the afternoon sun high above her head. She had to talk to some of the teachers to get permission to film in the school grounds. And though the principal didn't agree with her at first, he finally allowed the crew when they explained what the video was for and how Casey has been doing in the YouTube world so far. Needless to say, it was Finn's sweet talk that got them a whole day's permit. Shooting in her former school wasn't as easy as Casey wanted it to be. They had to retake many times because she needed a breather. Ken was there to talk her out of her anxiety and everyone had to stay enthusiastic and positive all the time to keep her from breaking down. After the second line, Finn instructed Jack, who had been filming from a higher point, to zoom in on Casey lip syncing to her own high notes.

***No matter how far we go, I want the whole world to know, I want you bad and I won't have it any other way... No matter what the people say, I know that we'll never break...***

The Digital Natives crew couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to Venice beach and take a swim. And though Casey felt very self conscious, Ken made her wear a vintage one piece and a matching headband. Finn tried his best not to gape at the sight of her frolicking in the freezing water. The twins also wore their swimming trunks and played tag with Casey while Will filmed their goofy antics. At one point Jack tried to chase Casey as she ran towards the shore and as he caught her, his hands circling her waist, they stumbled back to the water, laughing like kids. Finn also carried Casey on his shoulders, her hands reaching out to his as she towered over them. They also took shots of Casey lip syncing on the shore, her hands stretching on both sides, her wet hair clinging to her back and her swimsuit baring all her curves. Finn had his thumb on his lip, his eyes burning into Casey as she sang. _Jesus, Jack was lucky to see this beforehand._

***Coz' our love was made in the US... Made in the US...***

While they were editing, Casey requested that they add some more clips from her meet ups at the park. Will then took some of his footage of Casey taking photos with her fans, their hands forming a heart as they smiled to the camera. Jack also added a clip of Casey penny boarding almost perfectly along the pavements of downtown LA, a clip he's very proud of not only because Casey was able to learn the basics in less than a day but also because her shining eyes showed just how brave she was, despite her inner wars.

***Made in the USA...***

After much debate, Jack finally granted Casey's request to end the music video with a clip of her at Long Beach. Her maxi dress was flying all around her, the cold December air blowing against her body. Despite her clammy hands and her rapidly beating heart, Casey finally felt peace inside her head. She walked to the ocean and stopped until the water reached her waist. Her hand touched the cool waters, its color as reddish as the sunset. She smiled to herself as she faced the sunlight, knowing that Will was taking photos of her at the moment and that Jack was recording her every move. "Hey Charlie... I have new friends now..." She then turned back to the shore where Jack had his camera on a tripod. He started zooming in, curious as to why Casey waddled into the water. He held his breath as a pair if beautiful hazel eyes smiled back at him. _God, when will I ever get used to this?_

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_A/N: (Oh hey! second Author's Note after 38 chapters! WTF? LOL) Just to say a massive thanks and shout out to two readers who inspired me so much and helped me in this and the previous chapters: **AdorkableSherlock** and **ElmTreigh**. My heart is so full with so much happiness and love and OMG, I can't even! This went waaaaay too far than I thought it would! Thank you for the feedback, I take every single one of them seriously, I promise. And sorry if some of you think the chapters are too long or dragging, this is just to prep you for something..._

_Thank you again, I love you from the bottom of my heart!_


	39. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39: The Lurking Stalker**

"CC?" Casey looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. She gobbled up the last bit of the chocolate chip cookie in her hand and drank some milk. "Hey JJ, why are you still up?" she then asked, smiling. Jack stood in front of her across the kitchen counter. "Why are YOU still up?" he asked, a smile spreading on his face. Casey closed her tattered copy of A Catcher in the Rye and leaned on the marble counter from the bar stool she was sitting on. "I can't sleep..."

"Me neither..."

They were silent, staring blankly at each other. "I'm not gonna lie, I haven't had a decent sleep since we came here. It's so weird." Minutes ago she was lying on the same bed she has slept in since she was a kid at the big townhouse she grew up in and yet she felt like an alien. Her room looked exactly like it did before she left except for the new, cleaner sheets. The gray kitchen looks cleaner than ever. A few pieces of furniture were rearranged. They placed bar stools on the L-shaped kitchen counter and they bought a new fridge but everything else about this house was familiar to her. Still, she couldn't sleep. "I feel horrible, Jack." She slumped on her seat again and looked down at her book. She can feel her clammy hands getting colder, her breathing shallow. "Tell me all about it..." Jack said as he moved towards her. She stood beside her with his back leaning on the counter, his head was turned to her. James said the best way to calm her down is to get her talking. It releases all her tensions and helps her regulate her own breathing.

"I can't sleep, I feel restless, I feel like I'm always suffocating and I don't know why..." She breathed in and out slowly. "And then there's the fact that we're meeting Hank in two days and I still haven't written anything..." Slowly she felt the nuts in her stomach untangling. Her lungs felt a bit lighter when she exhaled. Jack turned to her, carefully held her hands and warmed them in his. "Listen, don't pressure yourself. We're not rushing you, you don't need to write anything if you don't feel like it..." Casey looked at him, her hands still folded inside his. She smiled as she continued controlling her breathing. "Thanks Jack..." He couldn't help but smile. _There's my Casey..._ He let go of her hand and opened his arms to her. "Come on, give me a hug." She just laughed, the corners of her lips turned upwards and her eyes shined again. "Come on... You know you want to..." he teased as he motioned for her to come towards him. She stood from the bar stool she was perched on and came towards him. She hugged him, her arms snaking around his waist and meeting at his back. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. They stood there hugging for quite sometime. _Well, this is a more preferable treatment methodology..._ She smiled as she hugged Jack, her cheek against his chest. "D'you wanna sleep with me tonight?"

"What?"

"Not sleep with me, I mean sleep BESIDE me... Again..." She moved a few inches away and looked at him straight in the eye, her own eyes asking. _Do we really want this Jack?_ Jack, however, couldn't bring himself to look at her the same way. He can feel his cheeks burning and his right hand went upwards to scratch away an invisible patch of embarrassment on the back of his head. "Okay!" she answered, half laughing. He looked at her and watched the playfulness dance in her eyes. _God, I wish she was like this all the time._ "Okay!" he answered back. He held her hand and they walked up the stairs.

* * *

For the first time since they came to LA, the crew had to don jackets to survive the cold December morning. It was the first time Jack and Finn were spending Christmas with someone else's family. Though they miss their Mum badly, they were glad that they get to experience the holiday shopping rush in LA for the first time. Everyone just seemed very busy this time of the year. The streets were littered with parents dragging their little ones into stores, couples walking hand in hand along the pavements and businessmen rushing about. The mall they were in was no exemption to the whirlwind of shoppers. To save time the DN crew and Casey's parents, Jean and Greg, decided to split into teams. Jean took Ken with her to buy Christmas dinner decorations. Greg took a very inquisitive Will with him to the supermarket to get groceries and select a very healthy turkey. Jack, Finn and Casey were appointed to shop for gifts. "Who else is coming tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Oh, my older step sister will be there with her husband. My nieces will be there. Dad's coming too, he's on the plane now, I think."

"Oh yeah, I did hear your Mum talking to James on the phone this morning..." Finn said. "Why did he flew out so late? He could've flown with us two weeks ago." Casey glanced at the list her mother gave her and frowned upon it. "He had to attend this publisher convention in London..." she answered distractedly, her eyes still on the piece of paper in her hand. _Why did Mom forget to list down gifts for Jack, Finn and Will? They can't have nothing for Christmas!_ "Hey check this out!" Jack said running down the aisle towards a rack of weird looking wigs and Santa hats. She looked around the teeming department store, panic rising inside her. _Shit, I only have today for shopping. What the fuck am I going to give them?_

After buying everything on the list, the three decided to get some coffee. Casey felt the cold chill on her cheeks as she went out to the streets of downtown LA. Jack walked beside her, a happy grin plastered on his face. She peered at him and his smiling green eyes met her hazel brown eyes. "Your eyes make me think of coffee..." he said out of the blue. Still smiling, he held her hand and swayed it as they walked. Finn caught up with Jack as they were walking. He kept looking back, the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. "Finn, what's wrong?" Casey asked, noticing his discomfort. Finn looked at her, his green eyes glowered with intensity. He looked at Jack and then looked forward, his expression unreadable as he whispered enough to let both of them hear. "Someone's been following us."Casey felt her heart jump. She looked back just as soon as Jack did. And as they rounded the corner to a Starbucks store, she saw a small, thin guy wearing a black Metallica shirt and a brown jacket. He was looking down, his head was clad in a green beanie and his long hair was covering his face. Casey felt Jack's grip tighten on her hand.

"Is it the man with green beanie?" he asked his twin. "Yes. I think he's after Casey... He's been staring at her with demon eyes since we were at the store." Jack felt Casey's hand shake inside his. He held it tighter, his thumb brushing against her knuckles. "Relax, let's go in and have some hot cocoa, don't mind him." Finn walked beside her as well and held her other hand. She felt her chest constricting, hurting. Everything suddenly feels so crowded. They led her to the coffee shop and into the long line of customers. "CC," Finn looked at her, his green eyes dead serious as he held her hand. "Stay here, don't follow us, okay? We'll come back for you." He nodded towards Jack and they stormed back outside.

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	40. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER 40: The Songwriting Notebook**

Finn watched with alertness as the man with green beanie walked towards them. Contrary to his prediction, he didn't turn away when they went back out and walked towards him. He just looked down and walked straight in between them. Jack caught his arm and stopped him, his hands encircling a thin bicep swaddled in thick clothes. Finn squared his shoulders and blocked his way, his hands inside his pockets. The man looked at him, his gray eyes sharp and threatening. Jack stood beside Finn and glared at the stranger. They towered over him by a few inches. He crossed his arms, his biceps flexing and forming under his knitted cardigan. _I can take you down right now, man..._ Finn stood close on the other side of the man and whispered, his voice low as a tiger's growl. "Hey buddy... I noticed you've been following us everywhere..."

"I just need to talk to Casey..." the man breathed, his body silently shaking in fear. He never meant to creep her out. He never meant to confront her British boy friends. He held is jacket tight and wrapped his cold body in it. Looking down, he tried to calm his wildly beating heart. "Who are you?" one of them asked, his voice slightly higher. He clutched on his jacket tighter. Jack stepped towards him, his muscular chest about a few inches away from the man's bowed head. "Answer me... Who are you and what do you want from Casey?" He looked up, straight to the pair of green eyes and mustered up some bravery. Around them people are thoughtlessly walking around. The stranger looked away. "I just need to talk to her, man. She knows me."

"Yeah well, if she knows you why didn't you just walk up to her and say 'Hi'?" Finn said, his green eyes probing. _There's something very wrong here that I can't quite put my finger on._ The man flinched, little beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Finn stepped towards him and whispered. "Look man, if you don't leave right now, we're gonna call the police and report you for harassment." The stranger looked up again, fury boiling at the pit of his stomach. He pushed Finn with both hands which sent him back a few steps. Finn reciprocated by pushing him as well. "Woah mate, you're crossing the line here!" Jack said, his arm held out to separate his brother and the stranger. "Oh, I'm crossing the line?! You're the one who's crossing the line. You don't know her!" the man said, furious. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Finn asked, suddenly baffled. There was a hand on his arm, a tender grasp that surprised him. "Finn, it's okay... I know him." Jack turned around to see Casey who had her hands inside her coat's pockets. She looked at him and he instantly felt her discomfort as she stepped forward. The stranger just stared at the ground. "Casey, you don't have to..." Jack said, blocking her way. His eyes were filled with worry, hers were brimming with tears. She had been trying so desperately to control her breathing and her shaking hands. She smiled. "It's okay Jack..." Sighing, Jack gave way and let Casey approach the man with the green beanie.

"Simon?"

"Hey..." He said, his shy gray eyes meeting hers. "I... I'm sorry for creeping you out it's just..." Casey shook her head, a tear finally falling from her eyes. "I wasn't sure if you still wanted to talk to me..." She wiped the tear from her cheek and sighed. All the memories of last year flooded back and it brought pain in her chest. She looked at Simon, who was staring at the ground, and knew, almost instantly, that he was feeling the same way. "I just... I just wanted to say sorry..." Finn shifted on his feet and tried to listen more closely. "No... No, don't say that, Simon... It wasn't your fault." Casey said as she held his arm. She knew they both felt sorry. "It's not our fault we weren't there..." she whispered and it made Simon sigh. He looked up to the sky and tried to prevent the tears from falling. He looked at her and smiled. Then he reached inside his jacket. "I just wanted to give you this." He handed her a tattered, black, leather-bound notebook. "What's this?" Casey asked as she opened the first few pages. "It's Charlie's songwriting book..." At that Finn decided to approach them and invite them to the cafe they had been in so they could talk.

* * *

He was the band's bassist and Charlie's best friend. She was the only girl he met who appreciate bassists more than lead guitarists and drummers and vocalists. "It's the bassists who keep the songs alive..." she would often say. He never cared for Charlie's girls, he never even commented on them. But when he saw her that night in one of their gigs downtown, he almost wished he found her first. He went to a different school, but every day he would walk with Charlie and Casey home just so he could see her. When Charlie died, he stopped talking to her completely. The band fell apart and he just disappeared. Though news of Casey's breakdowns at school reached him, he just couldn't bring himself to visit her at home, at school or at the hospital. It broke her heart knowing she was completely alone, the same way her heart felt like breaking as she leafed through the notebook filled with poems and guitar chords. "He wrote many songs about you..." Simon said as he sipped his coffee.

"How did you know he wrote it for me?"

"Your name is penciled at the back of some songs..." Casey turned another page and saw a tiny scribble of her name at the bottom of it. She couldn't help but smile. "Have you guys recorded these songs?" she asked. Simon shook his head. "We disbanded after the funeral..." he answered quietly. It was enough to keep them silent for a while. They didn't have to acknowledge the fact that they weren't there during the funeral. "You know I think you should record this." Simon suddenly said. "Me? Why?" she asked as she shut the notebook close. "I know you're about to make an album..." he said, smiling slightly. "How did you know about that?" she asked, surprised. "You mentioned that on your last video, remember?" he answered, a smile spreading on his face. She chuckled. "I didn't know you've been watching my videos..." she said. "Let's just say I've been stalking you from afar." Simon said half-laughing. Casey couldn't help but laugh as well. "Uh, sorry to interrupt you guys but Casey, Ken's on the phone he says we need to go," Jack said from another table just behind theirs. Casey turned back to Simon and smiled. "We need to get going..." They both stood up while Jack and Finn walked towards the door. "It's nice to see you're okay now..." Simon said as they awkwardly hugged. "It's nice to see you too, Simon" she said. As they walk towards the door, Jack couldn't help but notice how those damn gray eyes kept their focus on Casey. When they hugged, he can almost feel how Simon wanted something more.

Just before they separated outside the cafe, Simon turned to Casey and whispered. "Tell your boyfriend's brother that I'm sorry for pushing him..." his gray eyes met Jack's suspicious gaze. "Who, Jack? Oh no, he's not my boyfriend!" Casey said defensively, not realizing that Jack was standing just a few inches behind her. Finn watched as his brother's expression changed from annoyed to sad. He then turned to Simon, his hands in his coat's pockets. "We really need to go man." The two bid their goodbyes and walked towards separate directions. From where Simon was standing, he can see Jack charging along the streets first while Finn held Casey by the waist as they walked together.

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	41. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER 41: The Last Straw**

[TAKE ONE]

It wasn't easy to get them back together, but since Charlie's death anniversary was just around the corner, Simon and Casey managed to persuade the rest of the band to perform in a music video with her. They recorded a cover song in just one day. Casey never broke down. Simon took over the lead guitar for the first time and as he plucked through the first few notes, Jack took a close up shot of Casey inside the red pickup. She was staring at her reflection on the rearview mirror, her eyes look sad and tired. Jack focused on her lips as she started putting on her red lipstick. She opened the door and got ready to hop out of the car.

***Lovin' him is like drivin' a new Maserati down a dead end street. Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly...***

There was a change of coloring on the next shot which Will worked on vigorously. It was a close up shot of Casey's feet as she hopped out of the car in red Keds sneakers. The shot opened up to a medium shot as she closed the door and started walking towards the school. She had her hair high up in a ponytail and was wearing a short, red round skirt with a simple white shirt. She was in a school parking lot, carrying some books in her arms. Jack focused on Casey who suddenly noticed four boys hanging around a shiny red car. They were all wearing red varsity jackets and were exchanging high fives. He defocused from where Casey is standing to show Finn, Connor Franta and Sawyer Hartman who started walking towards the school as well. They pass by her and she caught the eye of the last person at the back, Joey Graceffa. He looked at her, smiled as they walked past her and she stopped in her tracks and just gazed at him.

***Loving him is like tryin' to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall. Like the colors of autumn so bright just before they lose it all...***

Jack did a moving shot of Casey in a science lab class with an empty chair beside her. All around her, students busied themselves by talking, chewing gum or making paper planes. A few seconds later Joey came in and sat beside her. He glanced at her while she busied herself with her notes and whispered a small "Hi!" They talk silently, smiling with their inside jokes as the professor, played by Ken in big nerdy glasses and plaid shirt, discussed their science lesson.

***Losing him was blue like I'd never known, missing him was dark gray all alone...***

From behind, Will took a long shot of Casey and Joey walking by the sidewalk of Casey's neighborhood together. Finn, who directed the video, was careful not to include Jack in the frame while he took close up shots of the two as they walked. Casey smiled giddily, her hands swinging on her sides. Joey grabbed her hand and held it. Jack did a close up shot as his long dainty fingers intertwined with hers.

***Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you've never met. Loving him was red... Loving him was red...***

They decided to look for a small abandoned warehouse in downtown LA where the band can play. With Ken's design expertise they decorated the barren space with red silk hanging from the ceiling. Jack, Will and Finn took turns shooting the band in different angles as the played and Casey as she sang. When the band did a break by the end of the chorus, they opened up a massive rented industrial fan that made the silk float in the air and Casey's long brown hair fly gloriously behind her as she spoke the word 'red'.

***Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right in front of you...***

She took Joey and the DN gang to an old, stuffy arcade that Charlie liked when he was alive. They used to spend hours and hours sitting there playing Tekken or throwing basketballs. In the time they were there, Will took various shots of Casey and Joey laughing and touching casually as he helped her shoot virtual soldiers. As he held her, his hand encircled her small waist while the other hand went to her arm as she pointed to shoot, she couldn't help but blush.

***Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song...***

Since Joey couldn't play guitar, they took a shot of him sitting at the foot of Casey's bed, listening to her as she played in front of him. He flashed her his perfect set of teeth and she smiled back as she faked a strum, forgetting quite easily how the video was supposed to be a painful one for her.

***Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer...***

Casey sat on her former school's bleachers remembering the last fight she and Charlie had. But there were no tears or pain or shaking. She was okay. They did a short shoot of her and Joey talking seriously and fighting calmly, inches away from each other. In bent frustration, she leaves Joey who acted all messed up and helpless on the bleachers.

***Regretting him was like wishing you never found love but love could be that strong... ***

Jack shot a close up of Joey, who was leaning against his car while he tried to call Casey. She was at home, ignoring her phone. He texted Casey saying "I'm coming over" and walked to the other side of the red car.

***Losing him was blue like I'd never known, missing him was dark gray all alone, forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met...***

Casey and Ken dressed every member of the band in black, something they weren't able to do on Charlie's funeral mainly because most of them weren't there. Casey sang her heart out for every chorus, her red painted lips moving along with her recorded voice. It was the first time she sang with Charlie's band but it felt like they have been playing together for years.

***But loving him was red... Oh red... Burning red...***

While driving, Joey noticed a flower vendor by the sidewalk, which Jack highlighted by defocusing from him to the red flowers. He pulled up beside the vendor, bought a long stemmed red rose, then drove away.

***Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes. Tellin' myself it's time now, gotta let go...***

From the back of the car, Will took an over the shoulder shot of Joey texting Casey with his other hand on the steering wheel. Finn on the other hand, took over the filming outside. He did a close up shot of Joey who steered the wheel hard in shock when another car came out of nowhere and he crashed to a nearby tree. They also took a split-second shot of Jack who drove the other car as he went out to check on Joey.

***But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head...***

Edited in slow motion and black and white, Finn took a shot of Casey as she finally answered her phone. She lost all bearing and she cried, almost involuntarily, when she heard the news from the other end of the line. She dropped her phone and ran out of the house.

***In burning red...***

Will did another close up of Joey using big telephoto lenses. He had fake blood on his forehead and was still behind the steering wheel of the crashed car. They lit up a can a few inches away from the camera to give the illusion of a burning hood. Finn, meanwhile, took a moving shot of Jack as he forced open the door to get Joey from inside the car while sirens and lights came up from an incoming ambulance.

***Burning red... Oh, losing him was blue like I'd never known, missing him was dark gray all alone, forgetting him is like trying to know somebody you never met... Cause loving him was red... Oh burning red...***

Ken's genius plan of floating red silk was escalated to something bigger. They held together all the cloth and made it look like a big red tent that acted as a backdrop. Jack and Will took solo shots of each band member. First was Simon who showed the camera his moving fingers on the long fret board during the guitar solo. They also took solo shots of the bassist, the drummer to the rhythm guitar. By the time they did a solo shot of Casey with the red silk tent behind her, tears were streaming down her face as she sang.

***And that's why he's spinning round in my head, comes back to me, burning red...***

From the end of the hospital hallway, Will took a long shot of Casey running until she reached a door to the left where Jack sat silently. Finn, who was hidden in another room filmed the two from a different angle. From where he was, he showed Jack facing him, his blue shirt splattered with blood stains. He stood up and faced Casey who faced him as well, crying her eyes out. In a tight close up shot, Finn shot Jack's hand giving Casey a long stemmed rose and Joey's phone. On a tighter close up, they show an unfinished text message saying "I love you, I'm really sorry..."

***His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street...***

As Jack transitioned to the video's normal color, the frame goes back to the first shot where Casey painted her lips red on the rearview mirror and hopped out of the red pickup in red heels and a very black dress. The camera then zooms out and upwards to show Casey and the band members walking towards a chapel where a funeral was being held.

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_A/N: Yay! Another very necessary trace of myself on this story! LOL! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to that wonderful person/__Guest__ who left Joey Graceffa's name on the previous chapter's review for giving me the inspiration to write this chapter. I looove Joey Graceffa, I hope you liked this whoever you are! BTW if you don't have an account, why not leave your Twitter handle on the review so I can thank you? Also, thank YOU for making it this far. The best is yet to come. _


	42. Chapter 42

**CHAPTER 42: Jack Reacts**

Casey packed the last piece of clothing in her luggage. She looked around her and sighed. _How the hell am I going to pack all these gummy bears now?!_ She sat on her bed and pushed her glasses up to her nose bridge. It was sad that she had to leave LA and go back to Bristol again the next day. But she was glad she got to spend her Christmas vacation with the people that really mattered to her. Best of all, she got to take home lots of gifts from fans and family last Christmas. Just as she was about to open a plastic tub of gummy bears she heard a soft knock on the door. "Yep?"

Jack stuck his head into the room and she motioned for him to come in. She patted the space on the bed beside her and took a gummy bear. "Want some?" she asked, a smile painted on her makeup-free face. "Sure!" Jack said as he stuck his hand into the big tub of colorful bears. It fascinated him how she liked beheading these cuddly little bears and how it made her smile and light up instantly. "I just dropped by to see how your packing's going," he said while eating another gummy bear. _What a pathetic excuse, Jack... Just hope she wouldn't mind..._ She just smiled as she looked at all her belongings. "Well, I think I'm going to have to pay for excess baggage because I can't fit all these gifts in my luggage, especially your gift." Jack chuckled in response.

They both turned to the hot pink penny board that lay facedown on top of Casey's belongings. She couldn't help but smile remembering how she laughed out loud that Christmas when she opened the gift the twins got her. It was ironic to her because she bought them new wheels and gears for Sophie and Penny. _I think we're having a collective penny boarding love now..._ "You know I just realized..." Casey said, out of the blue. Jack peered at her, distracted. "I still don't have a name for my penny board!" she said. He smiled at her and chuckled. "You're right! Maybe you should post a photo on Instagram and let your followers name it!" Her whole face lit up. "Oh my god that's a brilliant idea!" She whipped up her phone, took her penny board and gave it to Jack. She snapped a quick photo of Jack and her new board and posted it online.

_CaseyFreeman: Guys, what should I name the new penny board JacksGap and FinnHarries gave me for Christmas?_

They giggled together as they watched their mentions and feeds on Twitter. Every one's suggesting cute names for her pink penny board with yellow wheels and they keep saying it out loud to see if it fits. Tyler tweeted that they should name the board after him. Ken was gushing over the fact that it's pink. "They think I should give it a boy's name since you and Finn's penny boards have girl names!" Jack looked up from his phone, distracted from his deep thoughts. "How about Charlie?" There was silence as Casey contemplated and Jack waited. "You know, I think I've had enough of Charlie..." she quietly said, her eyes downcast. She looked at the names her followers mentioned on Twitter and picked one randomly. "Oh here's a good one... Kelly!" she announced. Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, Kelly sounds better than Charlie..."

_CaseyFreeman: I really loved all your suggestions! It is decided that my new penny board shall now be called Kelly! Thank you HoneyMia51!_

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay..." Jack suddenly said. He can't stop worrying about her since the shoot. The way she sang, the way her voice quivered, the way her tears fell while the words flowed made him feel some kind of inexplicable pain. She sighed and looked at him. "I'm okay now, Jack." He looked at her and watched the smile spread slowly on her lips. "Are you sure?" She nodded in response. He scratched the back of his head, sat there quietly and then stood up from the bed without saying a word. "Goodnight, JJ..." Casey said just before he reached the door. He stopped and just stood there, his thoughts crashing into him like huge waves. He turned around and stared at her, his green eyes intense and his brows tied up in a knot.

"I need to ask this, CC... Why? What is it with Charlie that got you stuck up and sad like this?" He looked into her eyes and saw it go wider. "Why are you asking me this, Jack?" Her voice trembled a little, her gaze grew cold. Jack sighed, walked towards her again and sat on the bed beside her. His eyes never left her face. "I just want to know... Because it's hard for me to see you like this... Like, the way you cried this morning it's just... I don't like seeing you cry, I hate seeing you sad and I hate not being able to do anything about it... I want to make it go away." Casey just stared at the ceiling and did just what Simon told her. _I'm not gonna cry..._ She sighed hard, pushed her glasses up and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Jack... You can't make the pain and the anxiety go away. If I can't do it, neither can you. I know how it feels seeing a friend suffer and feeling helpless about it but you did your best today and that's enough for me. You helped me get over him with that video. You see, when Charlie died..." She breathed hard, thankful that her chest didn't hurt as much as it did before. "I wasn't heartbroken. I loved him, but I didn't lost a boyfriend. He was my friend... And that made all the difference." Jack stared back at the toffee colored eyes before him. They seem misty behind her prescription glasses. She smiled at him and his heart melted. "You know, if YOU die tomorrow I'll never get over it too. I'll be sad and depressed all the time because there's a special kind of pain you feel when you lose a friend... Someone who became a part of your life big time." Even as she talked of death, he couldn't help but smile.

"If I am dying tomorrow then I want to be able to do something today..." He said as he looked back at her, his green eyes danced with unrealized joy. "What is it?" Casey asked, smiling back at him. Jack sat closer to her on the bed and took off her glasses. Her heart bounced as a stray hair fell and she felt her cheeks burning. He tucked the stray strand behind her ear, his finger touching her face. He traced the line of her jaw, down to her chin and held her face up. Casey peered at Jack, her heart beating wildly inside her chest. She sat there frigid as he closed his bright green eyes and moved closer to her. As his lips touched hers, Casey closed her eyes and held her breath.

Jack broke away from the kiss and let Casey breathe out. Her breath caught on his lips and he felt warm inside. She opened her eyes and looked at his evergreen orbs, his face inches from her. His hand, which was holding her chin gently, fell down to her lap where her hands lay. He held her hand and bit his lip. _Oh god, she tastes sweeter than gummy bears._ He held her hand tighter and kissed her again with a force that sent his heart racing. What blew him off his mind was that Casey was with him, kissing back. Their lips moved in unison, like it was the most natural thing in the world. And while Casey can feel her heart drumming inside her, her head was blank. All she knew was that her arms went up and around Jack's nape and it felt like they were floating on air.

He felt her light arms encircling him and he just lost it. He held her close, hugged her, and kissed her without even knowing why or how. At that moment the only thing that mattered to him were Casey's lips that touched his, her fingers grazing the back of his neck and her ragged breath upon his mouth. Gently, he laid her down the bed, their legs dangling on the edge. As he towered over he broke the kiss, smiled and just gazed at her. Casey was flushing red, her cheeks the color of strawberries. Breathing deeply she asked, "Do you want to stay here tonight?" Jack's smile widened, his perfect teeth flashed before her. "Do you think I'd ever want to leave after that?"

* * *

Finn woke up and found the guest room in a sea of mess. There were clothes hanging on chairs, beer bottles everywhere and unfinished crisps on table tops. Beside him Will was fast asleep. Ken was on the sofa bed, packing his stuff. "Morning hot shot!" he said in a sing song voice. "Morning Ken!" he answered back, smiling as he rubbed his eyes. He looked to his left and found it empty. "Jack didn't come back last night, in case you're wondering..." Ken said as he proceeded to pick up all the remnants of last night's beer bonding session. "Oh, maybe he slept somewhere else..." he wasn't surprised at all. He didn't even have to think of where he might be. He got up from the bed, helped Ken clean up the mess and they both went out of the guest room. As they opened the door they caught Jack silently closing Casey's door. He faces them, blushing, and found them smiling at him. He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. "Good morning..."

"Yeah, looks like you've had a good morning," Ken joked and Finn snickered. Jack turned beet red just as Casey came out of her room. Ken's small eyes narrowed at her and she saw Finn giving her a knowing look. She sighed, irritably and rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened, move along..." she said, walking ahead of them to the stairs. They all burst out laughing.

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